A few weeks after the teams were announced for the 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, there is now a last-second addition to the event. Per the latest reports, NFL WRs Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams and Mecole Hardman of the Kansas City Chiefs will join the game tonight. Nacua will play for NFL legend Shannon Sharpe’s team, whereas Hardman is joining Stephen A. Smith’s squad.
Joining Team Shannon and bringing his talents to the #RufflesCelebGame tonight at #NBAAllStar… it’s Puka Nacua! pic.twitter.com/Ki8wNBXDKt
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 16, 2024
Nacua had a record-breaking rookie season for the Rams. His 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards are both single-season bests for NFL rookies in league history.
Hardman started the season with the New York Jets. However, the Jets traded him to Kansas City, where Hardman played from 2019-2022, for a sixth-round pick. Despite only recording 14 receptions in his second stint with the Chiefs, Hardman came up big in Super Bowl LVIII. In the win against the San Francisco 49ers, Hardman recorded three receptions for 57 yards, including the game-winning touchdown that clinched the Chiefs’ second consecutive Super Bowl victory.
Fresh off his game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, Mecole Hardman will play in tonight’s NBA Celebrity All-Star game on ESPN, joining the team of hobbled head coach @stephenasmith.
CJ Stroud, Puka Nacua, and Micah Parsons all will play, too. https://t.co/ksz99ehJrl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 16, 2024
Nacua and Hardman are not the only NFL players participating in the game tonight.
Additionally, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons will also be a part of Sharpe’s team. On the flip side, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Houston Texans’ CJ Stroud, will play for Smith’s team.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will take place tonight at 7 PM EST in Indianapolis, Indiana.
NFL Wide Receivers Added to 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
History of NFL Players in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
These four NFL players are far from the only ones to play in the game. In total, before tonight’s game, there have been 10 past or present NFL players to have appeared in the game.
Most notably, Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf won the Ruffles All-Star Celebrity MVP Award in 2023. Metcalf became the first NFL player to receive the honor since Terrell Owens won it for the second consecutive year in 2009. As it stands, Metcalf and Owens are the only NFL players to win the award.
NFL star DK Metcalf is the 2023 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP 🏆
📊 20 PTS, 10 REB, 4 BLK, 9/16 FGM pic.twitter.com/4Jh64x99qw
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) February 18, 2023
Additionally, former MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and eventual Super Bowl champion Reggie Bush participated in 2007. This made the pair the first NFL players to play in the game.
Furthermore, Deion Sanders, Steve Smith, Anthony Adams, Kareem Hunt, Myles Garrett, and Calvin Johnson are the other NFL players who have been a part of the event.
This year will mark the first time more than two NFL players have been selected for the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
The Last Word on Puka Nacua and Mecole Hardman
The addition of these two WRs should make the game more exciting. Both Nacua and Hardman played high school basketball. It will be fun to see if that experience can translate to success in tonight’s game.
