Pregame concert added to official 2012 All-Star lineup

NEW YORK/ORLANDO -- The festivities for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 26, will tip off with performances by multiplatinum, alternative hip-hop band, Gym Class Heroes, Grammy®-nominated artist J. Cole, acappella sensation Pentatonix, and emerging star Kayla Brianna at the Sprint Pregame Concert at the Amway Center in Orlando. The 61st NBA All-Star Game will be televised live at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.
Live coverage of the Sprint Pregame Concert will begin airing at 5 p.m. on NBA TV and will lead into TNT's live coverage of the pregame show from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Concert performances will air live on NBA TV until 6 p.m. The TNT pregame show will begin at 6 p.m. and will provide viewers with live look-ins to the action on stage. The concert will end before TNT's All-Star Game coverage begins at 7 p.m.
TNT will broadcast Gym Class Heroes as they perform their new smash single "Get Yourself Back Home" featuring Neon Hitch. NBA TV will feature Grammy®-nominated artist J. Cole performing two songs, "Work Out" and "Can't Get Enough"; Pentatonix performing their mash-up of "Since You've Been Gone" and "Forget You"; and rising star Kayla Brianna performing her debut single "If You Love Me."
"We are extremely excited about the coming NBA All-Star week, our first as the official wireless service partner of the NBA," said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Corporate Marketing, Sprint. "Our presentation of the Sprint Pregame Concert, the Sprint All-Star Celebrity Game, and the introduction in December of our best-in-class Sprint NBA Mobile wireless application -- which is FREE to Sprint customers -- demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the NBA fan's experience."
"The Sprint Pregame Concert will provide our fans and guests with exciting entertainment prior to the 61st NBA All-Star Game in Orlando," said Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships. "As our new wireless service partner, Sprint has been integral to enhancing the interactive experience for our fans and their customers, from developing the Sprint NBA Mobile app to driving NBA All-Star Balloting, and now enhancing our fans' live experience prior at the All-Star Game."
The Sprint Pregame Concert will cap a week of Sprint's All-Star activities in Orlando that begins on Friday, Feb. 17, for an NBA All-Star E-Recycling presented by Sprint event at the Sprint store in the Millenia Mall. Sprint will additionally serve as the title partner of the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which will be played at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, on Center Court of Jam Session at the Orange County Convention Center. The evening will feature celebrities from film, TV and music, as well as NBA Legends and WNBA players.
Sprint will also be an associate partner of NBA All-Star Jam Session and the presenting partner of NBA All-Star E-Recycling events. Sprint also was the presenting partner of NBA All-Star Balloting, which determined the starters for the 61 st NBA All-Star Game.
The Sprint Pregame Concert will be open to all fans with tickets for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, for select promotional guests who participate in NBA All-Star E-Recycling presented by Sprint events and Sprint's Jam Session activities, and all members of the media with Game credentials.