NBA All-Star Game 2017: John Legend To Perform At Halftime

By Fansided and Michael Curtis/FanSided via Sir Charles In Charge
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Multi-award winning singer and songwriter John Legend will perform at halftime of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The NBA has announced that recording artist John Legend will perform at the 66th All-Star Game on February 19, 2017.

The game will be played in New Orleans, LA after the league moved it from its original location of Charlotte, NC because of a law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their birth gender in public buildings, according to ESPN.

“Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change,” the league said. “We have been guided in these discussions by the long-standing core values of our league. These include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.

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    “Our week-long schedule of All-Star events and activities is intended to be a global celebration of basketball, our league, and the values for which we stand, and to bring together all members of the NBA community — current and former players, league and team officials, business partners, and fans. While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.”

    Legend has earned numerous awards including 10 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, the BET Award for Best New Artist, among others.

    This is not the first time Legend will sing at an All-Star event. In 2013, he performed the National Anthem before the game in Houston. In 2009, he was also the halftime performer during the game in Phoenix.

    The material performed will be a mixture of his classic and newer hits. Earlier this month Legend released his fifth album entitled Darkness and Light.

    The schedule for All-Star Weekend is pretty standard. The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge will be held on Friday, Feb. 17. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night (Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest, Dunk Contest) will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18.

    The weekend concludes with the All-Star Game viewable on TNT at 8 p.m. ET.