Chris Brown did not play in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night. He was not invited.
Well, he claims that he was. The National Basketball Association supposedly changed its mind.
Chris Brown posted a pair of screenshots to his Instagram story that appear to show that he was invited to compete. The 34-year-old also offered his account of how and why league reneged on his invitation.
I was asked by the NBA to play in the all star game this year!
Only for them to call later and say they couldn’t do IT because of their sponsors like RUFFLES. At this point I’m sick of people bothering me and I’m tired of living in the f—— pas.
I POSTED THE EMAILS SO YALL COULD SEE. The NBA was tryna get me to come and sit court side… NOT F—— HAPPENING.
I ONLY GO WHERE IM APPRECIATED
— @chrisbrownofficial / Instagram
An email sent from ‘Keith Fernandez,’ titled ‘NBA All-Star 2024 Welcome x Chris Brown’ certainly seems to confirm his initial participation in the game.
Welcome to the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. We are thrilled that you will be a part of the weekendd!
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Event: NBA ESPN All-Star Celebrity Game
Show Date: Friday, February 16, 2024I’d like to connect you with Holly Cislo, Talent Manager for the Lucas Oil Stadium at this year’s event. Her team will specifically handle your logistics for the weekend (schedule, travel, ground transportation, flow) – they will also be facilitating your interaction with some other departments including credentials, ticketing, and hospitality. It is our goal to make your experience as smooth and seamless as possible.
At your earliest convenience please provide a press approved headshot and and bio
All the best,
Keith
A second email from Fernandez indicated that Brown would be on Lil Wayne’s team, and would wear a blue uniform. Neither of those things came to exist.
UPDATE: Ruffles says that it was not involved.
Ruffles sponsored last night’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, however Ruffles did not have any involvement in, nor visibility to, any player decisions or celebrity invite discussions.
— Ruffles, via a spokesperson
Chris Brown says he was uninvited.
The NBA allegedly asked him to attend the game, but not play in the game, after originally asking him to play in the game. Based on the emails from Fernandez that were provided as evidence, it certainly seems as though the league changed its mind. It is unclear as to why.
However, Brown’s message about “living in the past” and “sponsors” would indicate that the change might have stemmed from his history of legal troubles— perhaps most notably his assault on Rhianna in 2009. The sponsors for the game might have panicked about optics when they found out that Brown was included. That would be the most logical conclusion based on the minimal information surrounding the NBA’s handling of this situation.
Regardless of the root cause, Brown claims that he was all set to play in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday before the offer was suddenly removed. And then, after taking back his invite, the league asked him to stick around and watch.
If this account is true, the NBA seemingly handled this as poorly as possible. Brown should not have been invited in the first place if his offer was going to be revoked anyway.