advertisement
Culture

AP Dhillon to Play in 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

The Punjabi-Canadian star joins musicians like Noah Kahan and Shaboozey as well as celebrities like streamer Kai Cenat, wrestler Bayley and athletes Baron Davis and Allisha Gray.

AP Dhillon
AP Dhillon photographed for Billboard Canada's Punjabi Wave cover story
Photography team: Ishmil Waterman, Lane Dorsey, Sasha Jairam/Billboard Canada. Styling by Veronika Lipatova, Nikita Jaisinghani, Aliecia Brisette. Makeup & Hair by Franceline Graham.

The NBA has recruited a Punjabi superstar for its All-Star Celebrity Game.

AP Dhillon, the B.C.-based star of the Punjabi Wave, will suit up for Team Rice (coached by San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice) to show off his basketball skills. The selection brings a global star to a league that has increasingly international reach.


The Celebrity All-Star rosters feature a mix of athletes, entertainers and artists such as Billboard Canadian Hot 100 record-setter Shaboozey, Noah Kahan, Mickey Guyton, NFL icon Terrell Owens, Druski, streamer and recent Billboard cover star Kai Cenat, former NBA star Baron Davis, basketball trainer Chris Brinkley, WWE wrestler Bayley, actor Rome Flynn, Golden State Warriors alum Matt Barnes, WNBA players Allisha Gray and Kayla Thorton and many more.

advertisement

Retired baseball slugger Barry Bonds coaches the other team, alongside rapper 2 Chainz.

Check out the full rosters below:

Dhillon recently featured on the lovelorn acoustic Punjabi-language song "AFSOS" by popular Indian singer-songwriter Anuv Jain:

In addition to suiting up on the court, Kahan will be part of the 2025 All-Star Weekend Concert Series along with The Chainsmokers, Flo Rida and Zedd.

The 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game action is set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Feb. 14.

advertisement
Amber Still, executive director of the Polaris Music Prize
Johanna Stickland

Amber Still, executive director of the Polaris Music Prize

Awards

‘Protect the Prize’: The Polaris Music Prize Undergoes Its Biggest Period of Change

Now entering its third decade, the Canadian critic’s prize has expanded its voting pool, adjusted to financial constraints and begun awarding both albums and songs. After years defined by its refined focus, the changes mark a major expansion of the organization’s mission.

In 2025, the Polaris Music Prize celebrated its 20th anniversary. Entering its third decade, the award is undergoing what might be its biggest period of change. From funding to voting process, the organization is continuing to evolve.

The cultural not-for-profit organization has spent the better part of two decades creating a space in the industry for Canadian acts to be recognized based solely artistic merit, rather than sales, genre or support from a record label. Founded in the 2000s as Canada's answer to the Mercury Prize, the organization became a registered Canadian charity in 2017.

keep readingShow less
advertisement