From Hang Time to Prime Time by Pete Croatto

Author:Pete Croatto [Croatto, Pete]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

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All-Star Weekend allowed the NBA to play Dr. Frankenstein and construct the perfect corporate synergistic monster. It was now an “entertainment property,” said Adrian De Groot, the longtime president of NBA Properties. That was how Stern envisioned the NBA, he added. It was no longer “just basketball.”

Judy Shoemaker, another NBA Properties star, said one reason why All-Star Weekend grew longer is because of companies’ willingness to sponsor events that Stern got televised, which provided constant exposure and promotional opportunities galore. “We created some opportunities for celebrities beyond singing the national anthem before the game,” said Ski Austin, who organized the All-Star Game for years. “When we had the Stay in School Jamboree or the Celebrity Slam Dunk Contest or when we made autograph stages, everything was precise and controlled, so it was a safe place for them to show up and be a part of the crowd if they wanted to or to participate in things, knowing that it was a buttoned-up organization.”

Larry Bird saw the NBA’s evolution to an MTV league start at the All-Star Game in 1986. With all the loud music in Dallas, it was “more like a dance than a game.” The Slam Dunk Contest had turned into “some kind of rap contest.” He knew the NBA was trying to attract young fans and sponsors, but the NBA had gone corporate.

Bird’s comment on music was accurate. All-Star Weekend morphed into a hip-hop community family reunion. Los Angeles Times columnist J. A. Adande memorably dubbed the NBA’s in-season break “the Black Super Bowl” for a good reason. “In terms of hip-hop culture there is no bigger weekend than NBA All-Star Weekend,” said Doc Wynter, the music industry veteran. “Everybody is there, and any town that gets it sees how people just run to this event, man.… It’s part of what we do. People who love hip-hop love basketball.” NBA All-Star Weekend started becoming the hangout in the early 1990s, because hip-hop conventions and music conventions faded away. The hip-hop artists arrived with a bang, as street teams took over swanky hotels and stuck their artists’ stickers on their windows. The cities and hotels, according to Wynter, said, “Hell, no. This shit is over.” The hip-hop community needed “the next big thing to do.” The NFL never fully embraced hip-hop, so the Super Bowl wasn’t ideal. The NBA laid out the welcome mat. That was a good thing. Because of the connection between hoops and hip-hop, Wynter said, the thrill of seeing your favorite football player in comparison to seeing your favorite basketball player or rapper.

“The panache of the NBA All-Star Weekend definitely supersedes the Super Bowl,” Wynter said. “People want to go, but the NBA is different. It has to do with the activities, the All-Star Game, the dunk contest. They’ve done a great job of curating events that people want to participate in. Then, the parties. [Michael] Jordan has his parties. Other rappers have events. It goes to cities that people really like attending.” That makes a difference.

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