– Nelly Furtado to Sing Canadian National Anthem and NE-YO to Sing U.S. National Anthem Prior to NBA All-Star Game –

WALK THE MOON to Take the Stage During State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night

NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that Grammy® Award-winning artists NE-YO and Nelly Furtado will sing the U.S. and Canadian anthems, respectively, prior to the 65th NBA All-Star Game on Sun., Feb. 14, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  All-Star Game coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

On Sat., Feb. 13, pop rock band WALK THE MOON will thrill fans with a live performance of their new single, “Work This Body,” and then go into triple-platinum “Shut Up and Dance” prior to the Verizon Slam Dunk contest during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night.  State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on TNT from Air Canada Centre.

As previously announced, the halftime show will feature 16-time Grammy Award-winning musician Sting performing some of his most celebrated hits, joined by a band including Jerry Fuentes and Diego Navaira (guitar; The Last Bandoleros), Zach Jones (drums; The Last Bandoleros), Misty Boyce (keyboard; recently toured with Borns) and longtime Sting collaborator Rhani Krija (percussionist).  Acclaimed performance group Cirque du Soleil will tip off the evening with a captivating performance blending acrobatics, dance and technology to illustrate the story of a basketball dream, culminating in the 2016 NBA All-Star player introductions. 

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

 

Contacts:

Amanda Thorn George, NBA, (212) 407-8477, athorn@nba.com

Barry Parasram, NBA, (212) 407-8781, bparasram@nba.com

 

About NBA All-Star 2016

NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game.  The 65th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place Sunday, Feb. 14 at Air Canada Centre, will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 31st year of All-Star coverage.  The Air Canada Centre will also host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 12 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 13.  Other events at NBA All-Star 2016 include the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Mountain Dew and the NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire.

 

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 28,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.5 billion during the 12 months ended December 31, 2015. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.