Christina Aguilera performed during the NBA All-Star Game player introductions. It was reported the singer would be joined by the Rockettes during her performance, but no one expected Nas to join the stage. The pop singer performed the classic songs “New York, New York” and “On Broadway,” before Nas joined Aguilera to perform “New York State of Mind.” The pop singer closed her performance with a rendition of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ hit song “Empire State of Mind.”
The Rockettes returned to the stage and danced to Taylor Swift‘s New York anthem, “Welcome to New York.” After the NBA all-stars were introduced, R&B singer Tamia performed the Canadian national anthem. Actress and singer Queen Latifah performed an acoustic rendition of the American national anthem. The All-Star Game did not disappoint, and it was the highest scoring All-Star Game ever. The Western Conference beat the East 163-158, and the Oklahoma Thunder’s Russell Westbrook took home the MVP honors. Westbrook scored 41 points, one point shy of the All-Star Game scoring record. Madison Square Garden‘s arena was full of celebrities who attended the game including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Floyd Mayweather, Spike Lee, Chris Tucker, President Bill Clinton, and more.
Overall, it seems NBA All-Star Weekend 2015 was another successful year. The other winners over the weekend include Kevin Hart (Celebrity Game MVP), Team Bosh (Shooting Stars Challenge), Patrick Beverley (Skills Challenge), Stephen Curry (Three-Point Contest), and Zachary LaVine (Slam Dunk Contest). All-Star Weekend was also filled with celebrity parties, and after parties on Sunday night. Jay-Z, Nas, P. Diddy, DJ Khaled, Nicki Minaj, and Meek Mill all hosted parties over the weekend. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation party featured a performance by Kanye West, and it also was hosted by NBA MVP Kevin Durant (Durant is also signed to Roc Nation’s sports division). P. Diddy and Snoop Dogg also hosted a party at Madison Square Garden. Lil Wayne hosted a Young Money after party at Stage 48 in New York. The party was also hosted by Amber Rose, and it featured music played by DJ Self and DJ E Feezy. Some of the special invited guests Young Money artists including Drake, Christina Milian, and Mack Maine.