The 2nd-ever VTB United League All-Star Game. 40 minutes of basketball featuring the best talent in one of Europe’s best leagues, pitting the Russian Stars vs. the World Stars.
Warm up with the Super Star Game as League and team executives mix it up with actors, politicians, former players and other celebrities, plus the Rising Stars Game headlined by Russia’s top young talent.
What was last year like?
Incredible. The game was sold out and the fan experience was outstanding. 75% rated the 2017 All-Star Game between an 8 and a 10 on a 10-point scale and 45% gave the event a 10!
When and where?
Saturday, February 17, in the Yubileyny Sports Palace.
The Sports Palace is Zenit’s home arena, so plenty of fans are familiar with the venue. The Yubileyny has also been host to the 2016 Hockey World Championships and a major e-sports tournament in 2017.
How to get there?
St. Petersburg has tons of flights and trains from across Russia and Europe. The cheapest tickets for February 16-17 are 2,000 and 880 rubles, respectively.
Yubileyny address: Prospekt Dobrolyubova, 18, St. Petersburg
Nearest metro: Sportivnaya station (purple line)
This is where to find the Yubileyny Sports Palace on a map:
This is what the arena looks like from a birds-eye view:
Who’s playing?
Stars, lots of stars. At one end of the court, watch for Europe’s most dynamic player in Alexey Shved, the hope of Russian basketball, Sergey Karasev, and crafty veterans like Anton Ponkrashov and Sergey Monia. At the other end, Spanish star Sergio Rodriguez and French star Nando De Colo join forces with experienced vets in Mardy Collins and Stephane Lasme and young rising talent like Codi Miller-McIntyre and Coty Clarke.
Here’s what the full rosters look like:
Russian Stars: Dmitry Khvostov, Dmitry Kulagin (both – Lokomotiv-Kuban), Anton Ponkrashov (UNICS), Ivan Ukhov (PARMA), Alexey Shved (Khimki), Evgeny Voronov, Sergey Karasev (both – Zenit), Ivan Strebkov (Nizhny Novgorod), Nikita Kurbanov, Andrey Vorontsevich (both – CSKA), Sergey Monia (Khimki), Petr Gubanov (Nizhny Novgorod)
World Stars: Sergio Rodriguez, Nando De Colo (both – CSKA), Quino Colom (UNICS), Codi Miller-McIntyre (PARMA), Anthony Hilliard (Enisey), Justin Carter (Astana), Mardy Collins (Lokomotiv-Kuban), Drew Gordon (Zenit), Coty Clarke (Avtodor), Frank Elegar (Lokomotiv-Kuban), Anthony Gill (Khimki), Stephane Lasme (UNICS)
Russian Stars head coach Vasily Karasev and World Stars head coach Sasa Obradovic picked the starting lineups:
Russian Stars: Dmitry Khvostov — Alexey Shved — Sergey Karasev — Nikita Kurbanov — Andrey Vorontsevich
World Stars: Quino Colom — Nando De Colo — Coty Clarke — Anthony Gill — Frank Elegar
Are there any contests?
Of course! Like last year, the Three-Point Contest will be held during the break between the 1st and 2nd quarters. The Slam Dunk Contest takes place during halftime.
Here are the lineups:
Slam Dunk Contest
Tyler Honeycutt (Khimki), Ike Udanoh (Astana), Devon Saddler (Tsmoki-Minsk) and Frank Elegar (Lokomotiv-Kuban), who competed last year and replaces injured Zenit forward Drew Gordon
Three-Point Contest
Sergio Rodriguez (CSKA), Ryan Broekhoff (Lokomotiv-Kuban), Anton Ponkrashov (UNICS) – replacing Kyle Kuric of Zenit, Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (Tsmoki-Minsk), Kristaps Janicenoks (VEF), Branko Mirkovic (Kalev)
What are the players wearing?
Like last year’s game in Sochi, the Russian Stars are in red and the World Stars in blue.
UNDER ARMOUR is this year’s All-Star Game apparel sponsor and recently debuted the All-Star uniforms. The uniforms only use two colors—white and the team’s primary color—for a stylish look.
Where can I buy All-Star gear?
T-shirts, hoodies, scarves and other All-Star gear can be purchased at the arena.
You’ll also be able to buy player jerseys in St. Petersburg, giving you the chance to wear the same gear as Nando De Colo or Alexey Shved.
Who’s coming to the game?
There’s a long list of distinguished guests: VTB United League honorary president Sergey Ivanov, Russian Federation minister of energy Alexander Novak, Russian Federation deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich, actors Stanislav Yarushin, Kuzma Saprykin and Rostislav Khait, presidents and general directors from each of the League teams, Soviet basketball legends and active VTB United League players, who didn’t make the Game, but decided to jump on a plane to St. Petersburg anyway and cheer on their teammates.
The inimitable Ivan Urgant will once again serve as All-Star emcee.
He recently had Sergey and Vasily Karasev on his talk show (in Russian).
N1NT3ND0, aka Basta, will warm up the crowd before the All-Star Game.
Basta has been doing hip-hop for 20 years and recently become even more popular through his appearances on The Voice.
Basta sold out the Olympisky arena in Moscow and now he’s coming to you live from the All-Star Game.
There’s one more bonus for the fans: The Eifman Ballet will perform at the Yubileyny Sports Palace.
Who said ballet and basketball don’t mix?
Where can I buy tickets?
You can buy tickets on VTB-League.com.
Only a few tickets remain, beginning at 2,500 rubles. Of course, you may be able to scalp tickets on game day, but is it worth overpaying?
IMPORTANT: Before the start of the All-Star Game, you can enter and leave the arena with your tickets as often as you want. If you leave the arena after the start of the All-Star Game, you won’t be able to get back in.
Where can you watch the game?
For phone or tablet, stream live on Vkontakte.
For computer or laptop, stream live on VTB-League.com.
For TV in Russia, tune into Match TV.
Complete All-Star Game schedule
The festivities start at 10 am with the Russian Stars open practice.
‼Программа Матча Всех Звезд‼All Star Game Schedule‼ pic.twitter.com/Q2akn8g4vh
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) February 15, 2018
Promo video
This is the game you’ve been waiting for. Check out the official All-Star promo featuring League superstars, Ivan Urgant, Lev Leshchenko and more! See you in St. Petersburg!
