On Friday (February 17), iconic singer, songwriter, and actor Janelle Monáe became the fan-favorite celebrity player at the National Basketball Association’s annual celebrity All-Star game.
Videos by American Songwriter
The game, which is part of the NBA’s annual All-Star Weekend, this year held in Salt Lake City, Utah, featured an energetic Monáe along with a number of other big names competing for a win on the court.
Monáe, who also released her latest single, “Float,” this week, which featured Seun Kuti and the Afrobeat band Egypt 80, wore No. 23 in the game, perhaps a nod to both Michael Jordan and LeBron James, who famously wore the number during their careers. She intentionally dressed as Space Jam‘s Lola Bunny.
And while the singer brought smiles to fans’ faces she also performed on the court fairly well, all things considered. Though at one point her coach, NBA legend Dwayne Wade, told her, “When we down here, I need you to be ready to score.”
Despite some ups and downs, Monáe seemed to have a great time, Tweeting about the game, “I got cut from my team as a kid (it was traumatic!) and now I’m laughing.”
It’s obviously not easy for someone who isn’t a pro to come into a game like this and shine (just as it wouldn’t be easy if the shoe was on the other foot—an athlete coming into a recording studio or onto a movie set and fairing well). But Monáe was a standout and a fan favorite.
Check out highlight clips from the star singer’s performance below.
Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage
