The last time the NBA brought its All-Star weekend to New York City in 1998, Gary Payton was the starting point guard and Mitch Richmond came off the bench.
On Thursday, they both will be in the five boroughs again to help kick off voting for the 2015 All-Star Game.
Payton will be joined by Darryl Dawkins outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at a fan event to support the NBA’s 2015 All-Star weekend Feb. 13-15. Barclays will host the All-Star festivities on Friday and Saturday, and Madison Square Garden will host Sunday’s All-Star Game.
The Brooklyn event begins at 4:15 p.m. with performances by the Brooklynettes dancers and the Nets drumline. Fans also will get the chance to meet the former NBA stars in the 5 p.m. hour and cast their own All-Star ballots.
Richmond will be joined by Knicks legend Earl Monroe at The Garden beginning around 6 p.m., with the Knicks City Dancers and Knicks City Kids scheduled to perform at 5 p.m.
Last month, the NBA announced that all of its players would be eligible on the 2015 All-Star ballot. In previous years, the 60 players on each conference’s ballot were determined by a panel of broadcasters and media members who covered the NBA.
