Derrick Rose of Chicago Bulls

  Tampa Bay Rain Cheerleaders

  Designer Cookie Johnson

  Bella Rosa Photos HERE

  House of La Maica Contour Photos HERE

  Willie Hall Designs Photos Here

  Thomas Ruffin for T2 Photos HERE

   Denita Jackson for Kiswann Photos HERE

G Saints Photos HERE

 Feburary 21, 2012

 NBA All Star Weekend

Orlando, Florida was the center of the basketball universe during NBA All-Star Weekend.  The pageantry started on Wednesday and concluded with the  main headliner being the NBA All-Star game on Sunday.

The other schedule of events includes the always much anticipated Saturday events such as the Slam Dunk Contest with this year’s winner being voted 100% by the fans watching the game via text or tweets, the 3 Point Shooting, Skills Challenge and Shooting Stars (where a present, retired and a WNBA player teams up to represent their  NBA city).

A couple of new events this year included the NBA showcasing it’s D-League of talented players who dream of making it to the NBA one day. Friday the NBA’s Rising Stars consisted of first and second year players teaming up to play an East vs. West game chosen by Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley of TNT to make up the squads. And lastly, the ever popular Celebrity Game mixed some of this year’s celebrities such as R&B artist “Common” actor/comedian “Kevin Hart” and Secretary of Education “Arne Duncan” with retired NBA players such as Orlando’s own Dennis Scott and Penny Hardaway.

With all these events on schedule around Orlando, you could run into some of the biggest stars in television such as “Drew and Jonathan Scott” filmmaker “Spike Lee” music artist “Mary J. Blige” and NBA Legends like “Dominique Wilkins” “Chris Mullins” and “Dikembe Mutombo”.

Crowds also gathered for some of the biggest nightly VIP after-party bashes that the current and former NBA players put on, such as Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and TNT announcer Kenny “The Jet” Smith just to name a couple. 

Wednesday 2/22/2012 – Tampa Bay Rain

To kick off this week’s NBA activities, just down the road on the I-4, CEO Stephen Davis  presented the city of Tampa Bay a new ABA professional basketball team,  “The Tampa Bay Rain”.

One of the staples of NBA All-Star weekend is the production of fashion shows and various designers displaying their latest lines to upscale department stores and eager buyers looking for the newest trends for the upcoming spring/summer season. This year’s event holds true to form with Cookie Johnson showcasing her clothing line at Neiman Marcus and Simone I. Smith displaying her Lollipop jewelry for Cancer Awareness. See Designers PAGE here.

Thursday 2/23/2012 – Fashion Show

Off The Court and On The Runway

The fashion show presented by Off The Court LLC was held Thursday, February 23, 2012 at Terrace 390 in Orlando, FL. The show was hosted by Amelia Moore and coordinated by international fashion-coordinator Ron Cook. It highlighted these great designers:Bella Rosa, House of La Maica Contour, Willie Hall Designs, Thomas Ruffin for T2, Denita Jackson for Kiswanna and G Saints. 

The location was perfect because it was not the traditional show with a single runway. The Terrace had a walkway in a rectangular-like shape with seating “pit” style and around the edges of the walkways.  The models walked around the entire terrace stopping four times so that the each audience member could capture a glance of the fashions.  This concept was very nice because if you wanted once more glance at an outfit that struck your attention, all you had to do was turn around to see it again before the model exited the walkway.

The music choice was very upbeat as the models walked and it seemed as if the music kept the models motivated. There were special music guests singing songs in-between the change of designers. This was a nice addition for a change of pace then it was back to the fashions. The models were fantastic and looked as if they were enjoying themselves. The show was followed by the Kyrie Irving VIP after party which featured DJ Dev.
 

Friday 2/24/2012 – Fashion Show

  View Her Game 2 Fashion HERE

It’s Not Just His Game

I was invited to the “Her Game 2” fashion show at the Disney Swan hotel by William Michael Reid, President and CEO of Xpozure Entertainment, Inc. This fashion show featured the designs of Deborah  A. Williams, Ph.D. - President and CEO, Her Game 2, Inc. She found a need to begin designing NBA apparel for ladies as the traditional clothing didn’t exactly fit women’s bodies. Her designs really do speak to a woman’s contoured body and can be considered a little sexy depending on what accessories you wear with the outfit. I really enjoyed the entire show as the entire presentation was as close to perfection as one could get.  A natural fit to host the show was the one and only Jack Christie from the TV show “Basketball Wives LA.” The models were very professional, tasteful and engaging.  One neat part of the show was an auction of some of the outfits the models wore. Post show was an elegantly decorated after party on the patio at the hotel.  You can find out more about Deborah Williams and the NBA line at www.hergame2.com. 

Saturday 2/25/2012 – Hip Hop Performance

There’s a Tyga In The Club

There were various after parties in the Orlando area surrounding the NBA All Star Game and events. I attended an after party that was hosted by Chicago Bull’s Derrick Rose which featured Hip-Hop artist Tyga. He performed a few of his hits near the DJ booth that was raised above the dance floor. A lot of his fans were in attendance as I watched many of them recite the lyrics to his songs as he performed.  His presence was strong and his performance was flawless.  The crowd really looked like they had a good time at his show.
 

NBA All-Star Contest Winners:

Sunday - East vs. West All-Star Game MVP Winner: Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City Thunder.

Saturday - Slam Dunk Contest Winner: Jeremy Evans of Utah Jazz.

Saturday - Three Point Shooting Contest Winner: Kevin Love of Minnesota Timberwolves.

Saturday - Skills Challenge Contest Winner: Tony Parker of San Antonio Spurs.

Saturday - Shooting Stars Contest Winners:  New York’s Laundry Fields with retired Allan Houston and The Liberty’s Cappie Pondexter.

Saturday - D-League All-Star Game MVP Winner: Gerald Green of The Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Friday - Rising Stars All-Star Game MVP: Cavaliers Rookie Kyrie Irving.