SALT LAKE CITY—This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend took place in Salt Lake City from Feb. 16-19. Thirty-five brands were on-site, supporting the b-ball festivities with sponsorships and activations. Mainstays returned, such as State Farm as the title sponsor of All-Star Saturday Night, while newcomer Starry (the latest soda from Pepsi) made its debut with a title sponsorship of the 3-Point Contest.
The league’s fan event, NBA Crossover, spanned nearly 250,000 square feet of the Salt Palace Convention Center—four times the size of last year’s. The multi-day interactive event featured player appearances, live performances, and activations from brands including Kia, Meta Quest, Michelob Ultra, Starry, and Mondelez, whose Oreo brand launched custom cookies. As for the game, Team Giannis (Antetokounmpo) beat Team LeBron (James) 184-175 in the NBA’s annual showcase exhibition on Feb. 19 at Vivint Arena.
Indianapolis will play host to the next NBA All-Star weekend, which is set for Feb. 16-18, 2024. The city was supposed to host the 2021 game, but it was moved to Atlanta and scaled down because of the pandemic.
Keep scrolling to see more brand activations from NBA All-Star Game Weekend 2023...
American Express ‘Outside the Court’ Activation
American Express returned to NBA All-Star Weekend with its “Outside the Court” activation. It included a tailor shop where fans could customize their merchandise—such as jerseys, sweatshirts, hats, and more—in partnership with Rank & Rally; food and beverage from local Salt Lake small businesses; and an interactive basketball-themed photo op where fans could recreate “on-court” images. The company also recently announced a partnership with the NBA’s Utah Jazz and Vivint Arena to be the new official payments partner.
Photo: Douglas Barnes for AP Images for American Express
Fans were also able to watch live ice sculpture carving, cozy up to outdoor firepits, and warm up with coffee, tea, and hot cocoa from Canyons Coffee.
Photo: Douglas Barnes for AP Images for American Express
All-Star Bam Adebayo stopped by the speakeasy-style “Dirty Soda Shoppe,” which served signature dirty sodas, a beloved Utah beverage.
Photo: Douglas Barnes for AP Images for American Express
NBA on TNT American Express Road Show
The NBA on TNT American Express Road Show featured live studio broadcasts with Inside the NBA's Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, plus musical performances by Wiz Khalifa and Chloe Bailey at The Complex in downtown Salt Lake City. The free event included fan competitions, giveaways, and other interactive games, as well as watch parties.
Photo: Courtesy of American Express and Turner
Google’s Pixel Playground
Google Pixel joined in on the fun with its “Pixel Playground,” a fully immersive neighborhood court-inspired experience that brought streetball culture to fans in Salt Lake City. The event, which was produced by The Robot Company, was free and open to the public from Feb. 17-19 at Sky SLC.
Photo: Courtesy of Google Pixel
Guests were able to score cuts from local barbers at a barber shop from Google Pixel and Richard Jefferson.
Photo: Courtesy of Google Pixel
At Jalen’s Nail Studio, guests could get a fresh set from celeb nail artist Nails by Mei.
Photo: Courtesy of Google Pixel
At the Pixel Playground, Google celebrated the second NBA HBCU Classic, a matchup between Southern University and Grambling State. Events included a pep rally where the Southern University “Human Jukebox” and the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band performed a battle of the bands.
Photo: Courtesy of Google Pixel
Under Armour All-Star Pop-Up
The Under Armour All-Star pop-up included a variety of stations and activities, including a merchandise showcase with new UA releases, including an All-Star Weekend-inspired “Carnival Pack” collection and Curry Brand footwear.
Photo: Courtesy of Under Armour
There was a photo op where fans could recreate Steph Curry’s famous buzzer-beating shot in the game against Oklahoma City, and a pop-up locker room was filled with custom branded lockers honoring UA Basketball athletes.
Photo: Courtesy of Under Armour
Fans were able to show off their talents during shot and skills games.
Photo: Courtesy of Under Armour
Fans could add their own carnival-style twist to UA apparel at a customization station.
Photo: Courtesy of Under Armour
Hennessy Arena
Hennessy took over the Edison House in Salt Lake City, transforming it into the Hennessy Arena with its “Court to Culture” basketball court buildout, which was produced by Game Seven, a creative and experiential agency that was recently acquired by Excel Sports Management. More than 1,600 people passed through the “arena.” The space hosted musical performances, daytime panel discussions, and art installations from artist Victor Solomon. Plus, LA-based high-tech sneaker creation company FCTRY Lab was on-site to help guests 3D-print a custom pair of kicks.
Photo: Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Hennessy USA
The brand’s immersive A.I. x AI integration, which was built by studio Look Mister, allowed fans to use artificial intelligence to design their own custom digital courts inspired by Allen Iverson. A digital screen projected the artwork. Fans can visit hennessy-arena.com through the end of the month to experience it at home.
Photo: Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Hennessy USA
On-site mixologists crafted NBA-themed cocktails developed by Sol Hospitality Group, including “The Rebound Refresh” (a twist on a classic greyhound) and "The Alley-Oop Cocktail." The brand also hosted a mobile pizzeria, which was produced by Annex88.
Photo: Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Hennessy USA
NBA x OREOiD
Oreo held an OREOiD-themed fan engagement activation at NBA Crossover; it featured photo booths, samples, interactive displays, coupons, and the mascot Stufy. (OREOiD is the brand’s customization division.)
Photo: Courtesy of Oreo
Prior to the All-Star Game, OREOiD partnered with the NBA to offer branded cookies for all 30 teams. The cookies feature the teams’ logos, colors, and celebratory sprinkle designs. For a limited time, Oreo also offered a special All Star-themed cookie. The NBA x OREOiD packs feature 12 cookies and are available on OREO.com/NBA for $39.95 plus delivery.
Photo: Courtesy of Oreo
SLC Live All-Star 2023
Salt Lake City Live teamed up with Park City Live for a series of shows at The Union Event Center during the weekend. Over the course of two nights, rapper 21 Savage performed and DIESEL (aka Shaquille O’Neal) hit the DJ booth, bringing out special guests Flava Flav and Flo Rida. DJ Drama and DJ IRIE also performed.
Photo: Courtesy of imageSPACE
AT&T Blue Carpet
Fat Joe walked the AT&T Blue Carpet at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City ahead of the 2023 All-Star Game.
Photo: Courtesy of the NBA
