AP Dhillon Becomes First Indian-born NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Scorer
Dhillon, who wanted to once be a professional basketball player was arguably the star of the second quarter, where he put eight points on the scoreboard for Team Rice.
The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game is an annual celebrity exhibition match and is always the most exciting part of the NBA All-Stars Weekend. Retired NBA and WNBA stars are paired with musicians, comedians, YouTubers, actors, and athletes from sports to play against each other during the All-Star Weekend festivities.
Past Indian/Indian-Origin NBA All-Star Celeb Participants
For about a decade now, notable Indian celebrities have also participated in the game, opening the doors to a whole new South Asian audience. Abhishek Bachchan, a self-proclaimed LA Lakers fan, was the first Indian to play in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in 2015. Unfortunately, he failed to make his presence felt as he only got to play in patches and even then, did not have much of an impact on the game.
In 2021, Ranveer Singh became the NBA India ambassador, and he went on to participate in the 2022 and 2023 NBA All-Stars Celebrity Game. Although, Ranveer did not contribute much to the game he made up for it with enthusiasm and energy. Singh who is a very vocal supporter of Indian sports, spent a lot of time interacting with fans and obliging with pictures, during the All-Stars Celebrity Game.
Besides Bachchan and Singh, who are Indian citizens, other Indian-origin celebrity game participants have included YouTuber Lilly Singh, comedian Hasan Minhaj and Sacramento Kings’ owner Vivek Ranadive’s daughter Anjali Ranadive.
AP Dhillon’s Milestone
In the most recent 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, held on February 14, popular Punjabi singer AP Dhillon took to the court to showcase his skills. The ‘Brown Munde’ singer played the Ruffles Celeb Game for Team Rice.
Dhillon, who wanted to once be a professional basketball player was arguably the star of the second quarter, where he put eight points on the scoreboard for Team Rice. This helped his team finish the game 66-55, beating Team Bonds.
With this accomplishment, the Gurdaspur-born musician has become the first India-born celebrity to score in an NBA All-Star Game. That said, Dhillon appears to have permanently shifted base to Canada in 2015, and is listed as ‘Indo-Canadian’. So it appears as if the wait for an ‘Indian citizen’ to score in any NBA Game - whether celebrity or pro, continues.
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