NBA: Team Canada Triumphs in Celebrity All-Star Game
Kevin Hart came out of retirement, but it was not enough to help Team USA defeat Team Canada in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
With hi-jinks and pranks running high in the Great White North, it was Win Butler of Arcade Fire who walked away with the Celebrity All-Star Game MVP.
Despite the athletic talent on Team Canada, it was Butler who made his mark early, out-working his various defenders from Team USA.
Ironically, it was the NBA and WNBA veterans who had the more subdued night.Elena Delle-Donne, Rick Fox, Tracy McGrady, and Muggsy Bogues were relegated to a background role, allowing the jokers to take center stage.
Team USA coach Kevin Hart scolded his team as they fell behind in the first half, not pulling any punches even with his Real Husbands of Hollywood co-star Nick Cannon.
On the opposite side, a dapper Drake was dressed to the nines as he coached beside beloved Canadian athletes Steve Nash, Jose Bautista and DeMar DeRozan.
The athleticism for Team Canada was on display in the first half as Australian Open semifinalist Milos Raonic finished the second quarter with a dunk, a rarity for the celebrity game.
In the second half, a frustrated Coach Hart watched as his team was unable to close the deficit. Mid-way through the third quarter, the comedian could not continue to witness their demise and left to the locker room.
In his usual show-stealing fashion, Hart returned to the court minutes later in full uniform and took to the court to much fanfare.
While the crowd audibly cheered for the small movie star, it was Jason Sudeikis who was the sleeper for Team USA. The actor hit several shots from beyond the arc and even had the trust of the NBA veterans to make points from the perimeter.
Team USA had cut the lead to as few as six in the closing minutes, but the contest continued to see pranks unfold.
Anthony Anderson of Blackish fame had a steal and bucket despite not being on the floor, taking the ball from his seat at the bench.
The stars of Property Brothers, twins Jonathan and Drew Scott, switched jerseys mid-game due to the fact that Drew had accumulated four fouls. Of course, the change was missed by all the officials present.
Team Canada continued to drain shots, keeping the game just out of reach for Team USA.
Win Butler, for consistent production throughout the game, was awarded with the MVP. It is the first time since 2011 that a celebrity besides Kevin Hart has won.
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After the fun atmosphere of the game, Butler attempted to bring a tone of seriousness to the moment as he began to talk about the examples that the USA could take from Canada as it is an election year.
ESPN host Sage Steele was quick to take control of the situation as she cut Butler off so that programming could cut to College Basketball. Rather than allow Butler to turn the event into a political stint, she passed the microphone to 8 year-old internet sensation Demarjay Smith who became camera shy before coverage ended.