TNT’s Coverage of the NBA All-Star Weekend

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TNT is planning to provide over 17 hours of coverage of the NBA All-Star Game activities from Houston next week.

The nwetwork will continue its 11th year of covering the event with the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 15, at 9:00 p.m.  ET and the State Farm All-Star Saturday Nighton Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8:00 p.m. ET The weekend will culminate with the 62nd annual NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia Motors on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 7:00 p.m ET.

From TNT PR, here are details of the network’s planned coverage for the weekend:

Friday, February 15

• TNT will televise exclusive live coverage of the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at 9 p.m. featuring the top young talent in the game including Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, Portland’s Damian Lillard, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis and Washington’s Bradley Beal.
• Barkley and O’Neal will serve as general managers and will draft their respective teams – consisting ofrookie and sophomore players –Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. during the network’s one-hour pregame show.
• Matt Winer will provide play-by-play for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge with analysts Webber and Mike Fratello and reporter Craig Sager.
• Inside the NBA, with Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and guest analyst Karl Malone, will provide highlights and analysis at halftime and following the game.

Saturday, February 16

• State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, including the Sears Shooting Stars competition, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and Sprite Slam Dunk contest, will be televised live with coverage beginning at 8 p.m.
• Kevin Harlan will call the Sears Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge and Foot Locker Three-Point Contest with analysts Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith. Harlan will provide commentary for theSprite Slam Dunk contest with analysts Barkley, O’Neal and Smith.  Rick Fox will serve as a correspondent throughout the evening.
• This year’s State Farm All-Star Saturday Night coverage will feature a new East vs. West format, with points tallied throughout the evening, in an exciting night of competition that will also raise money for charity.
• Participants for State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will be announced during TNT’s NBA pregame show Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m.
• Preceding State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, TNT will televise Open Court: All-Star presented byGillette Fusion ProGlide at 7 p.m. The critically-acclaimed, one-hour roundtable discussion will be hosted by Johnson with Barkley, Miller, Steve Kerr, O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Webber and Steve Smith.
• Immediately following State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, TNT will televise Sir Charles at 50, a one-hour show in which Charles Barkley reflects on his legacy as he nears his 50^th birthday.  Johnson will conduct the interview with his Inside the NBA colleague.

Sunday, February 17

• TNT will exclusively televise the 2013 NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia Motors with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. with the NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com. Johnson will host the pre-game coverage with Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Webber.

• Marv Albert will call the game with analysts Steve Kerr and Miller and reporters David Aldridge and Sager.

TNT Overtime

TNT Overtime, a live video player offering a companion experience during TNT’s live NBA coverage, will debut a redesigned version for NBA All-Star. The player will continue to offer alternative camera angles, now in high definition, throughout TNT’s on-air presentation and will now feature:

• Video Highlights – fans can play back key plays during the game via in-game highlights.

• Fan Excitement Meter & Fanscape Map – fans can feel the pulse of social conversation including which geographical areas are most engaged via social platforms and which NBA topics are receiving the most buzz during NBA All-Star events.

• On the Court – fans can easily track which players are on the court, along with in-depth statistics and the ability to compare game performance with a player’s season averages.