Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar to Perform at NBA All-Star Weekend
Pharrell Williams has been gearing up for a shot at the NBA All-Star game, as he showed off in a funny video for NBA.com. But as it happens, the basketball association is only interested in his singing talents. Today, the NBA revealed that Pharrell will perform with as-yet-unannounced guests during the player introductions at the All-Star Game at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center on February 16th.
Watch Pharrell Talk About Collaborating With Daft Punk on ‘Random Access Memories’
Pharrell is only one of many announced performers. Kendrick Lamar will perform Saturday, February 15th, before the NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, which will air live on TNT at 8 p.m. EST. During the big game’s halftime show on Sunday, the Crescent City’s own Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue will lead an all-star jam paying tribute to New Orleans, including Janelle Monáe, Dr. John, Gary Clark, Jr. and Earth, Wind and Fire. Before the jam, Clark and Serena Ryder will be performing the U.S. and Canadian national anthems, respectively.
The league has not yet announced performers for the pre-game concert, according to Billboard. The NBA All-Star Game will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 16.
Two weeks after the NBA All-Star Game, Pharrell has another big gig lined up – a performance at the Academy Awards. He’ll be peforming his track “Happy” from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. The track is up for the Best Original Song Oscar, a category that also includes U2‘s “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Karen O’s “The Moon Song” from Her and “Let It Go” from Frozen.
Last month, Pharrell won four Grammy Awards in major categories, including Producer of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year, mostly for his work on Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories. In whatever free time he has, he is reportedly working on his first solo album since 2006.