The Lead
Pro Football Hall of Famers and former Broncos legends Shannon Sharpe and Peyton Manning are teaming up — in basketball.
Sharpe, now a host on ESPN's "First Take," will lead one team in the 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game against his co-host Stephen A. Smith's squad. Manning was announced Wednesday as one of Sharpe's two assistant coaches, along with rapper 50 Cent.
Team Shannon's roster features rapper/singer Anuel AA, Twitch and YouTube streamer Kai Cenat, IndyCar/NASCAR driver Conor Daly, country musician Walker Hayes, actor Quincy Isaiah, WNBA player Jewell Loyd, Cowboys star Micah Parsons, YouTuber/TV host/comedian Lilly Singh, singer/songwriter SiR and actor Dylan Wang.
This will be Manning's second all-star coaching gig in a major sport, as he has coached the AFC in the Pro Bowl Games the past two years.
As far as Manning's basketball experience goes, the most extensive look fans have gotten at those skills came from the NFL Films' "The Timeline: Peyton Manning's Summer School" documentary. During offseason workouts at Duke in 2013, Manning, his brother Eli and other workout participants visited Cameron Indoor Stadium for a game of HORSE that naturally got quite competitive between the two brothers.
The NBA's All-Star Week festivities are being hosted in Indianapolis, the home of the first half of Manning's NFL career, and the celebrity game will take place at the Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium. The game will air on ESPN on Friday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m. MT.
