Kicking off the weekend, celebrities like CJ Stroud, Jennifer Hudson, Jewell Loyd, Kai Cenat, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Shannon Sharpe took over the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 2024 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Airing exclusively on ESPN, the game not only welcomed top celebrities and athletes in sports, but also showcased a new innovative LED Court, which entertained fans with its mesmerizing animation capabilities. But while the night was full of hilarious moments and a relay-style shooting contest, Chris Brown criticized the NBA for supposedly inviting him only to rescind the offer later.
With over 145 million followers on Instagram, Brown decided to air out his frustrations with the NBA on Saturday when he accused the NBA of disinviting him over their sponsorship with Ruffles. โI was asked by the NBA to play in the all star game this year! Only for them to call later and say they couldnโt do IT because of their sponsors like RUFFLES.โ The singer even posted pictures of an email sent to him back in January that featured a digital image of what his jersey was going to look like. According to the singer, he was going to play on Lil Wayneโs team. But that never happened as he received a phone call detailing how he could no longer participate.
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Chris Brown Refused To Attend The Game
Believing the decision happened due to his history of domestic violence, Brown criticized both Ruffles and the NBA. Tired of living in the past, the singer described his past incidents as a โMistakeโ he โmade as a 17-year-oldโ. The singer also attacked cancel culture, insisting they โKissโ his โwhole entire a**โ. Back in 2009, Brown found himself at the center of controversy when assault charges surrounded his relationship with Rihanna.
[RELATED: Chris Brown Accused of Rape in $20 Million Lawsuit]
While sharing his true feelings on the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Brown added that the NBA still invited him to attend the game, he just could not participate. And for those who watched, they might believe they missed the singer, but he did not attend. He expressed his thoughts about the invite, concluding, โNot F**king Happening.โย
Adding their voice to the conversation, Ruffles released a statement, which was shared by Brown. The Statement read, “Ruffles sponsored last night’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, however we did not have any involvement in, nor visibility to, any player decisions or celebrity invite discussions.”

Although not attending the game, fans praised the broadcast as Team Shannon ended up winning the game 100-91.
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 29: Kelly Hansen of Foreigner performs onstage during The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis 39th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on September 29, 2025 at the New York Hilton Midtown raised millions of dollars to support the pioneering work of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miamiโs Miller School of Medicine and the worldโs premier research center targeting spinal cord and brain injury and other neurological disorders and diseases. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis)







