The Roots to open NBA All-Star Game 2017

NEW YORK — The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that Grammy® Award-winning hip-hop group The Roots will tip off the 66th NBA All-Star Game during the “Entertainment Series presented by JBL” on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Smoothie King Center. All-Star Game coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, and the game and all NBA All-Star 2017 Entertainment Series Presented by JBL performances will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.

Currently serving as the official house band of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Roots have become one of the best known and most respected bands in the business, winning four Grammys including “Best R&B Album” for Wake Up!, “Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance” for “Hang in There” (with John Legend) and “Best Group or Duo R&B Vocal Performance” for “Shine.” Additionally, “The Roots Picnic,” a yearly star-studded mix of musicians, has become a celebrated institution. The Roots were named one of the greatest live bands around by Rolling Stone and serve as the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Prior to the introduction of the 2017 NBA All-Star East and West teams, the prolific group will take center stage for a special performance, taking the audience on a dynamic journey celebrating the evolution and history of the game of basketball.

As previously announced, the halftime show will feature 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend performing a compilation of his current and former hits.

With HARMAN serving as the Official Sound of the NBA, its audio brand, JBL, will be the presenter of this year’s NBA All-Star Entertainment Series. JBL will power exciting musical performances during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night in addition to pregame introductions and the halftime show at Sunday’s All-Star Game.

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About The Roots

The legendary Roots Crew, consists of Black Thought (MC), Questlove (drums), Kamal Gray (electronic keyboards), F. Knuckles (percussion), Captain Kirk Douglas (electronic guitar), Damon Bryson (sousaphone) and James Poyser (electronic keyboard).The Roots have become one of the best known and most respected hip-hop acts in the business, winning four Grammys, including “Best R&B Album” for Wake Up!, “Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance” for “Hang in There” (with John Legend) and “Best Group or Duo R&B Vocal Performance” for “Shine.” This brings the band’s GRAMMY nomination count to twelve. Additionally, “The Roots Picnic,” a yearly star-studded mix of musicians, has become a celebrated institution. The Roots were named one of the greatest live bands around by Rolling Stone and serve as the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

About NBA All-Star 2017

NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The 66th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Smoothie King Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 15th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 32nd year of NBA All-Star coverage. Smoothie King Center will also host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 17 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 18. The NBA All-Star Practice, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

About HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company’s software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $7.0 billion during the 12 months ended September 30, 2016. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.