NBA All-Star Game

Tough Times at Rich's

Trouble keeps following the infamous Midtown dance club like a cloud.

UPDATED: Rich's Abruptly Shuts Down Again, Under Another Cloud of Mystery

UPDATE (Monday, 5:45 p.m.) Cade Michals is a spokesman for Rich's Sacred Ground, not a partner. No doubt this is not the way Rich's wanted to celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. The most recent tenants of the long-running and equally star-crossed Midtown dance club closed their doors Friday w ... More >>

Promoter Sues Owners of Club Where Jay-Z, Beyonce, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade Celebrated All-Star Weekend

A group called All Pro Management is suing the owners of Rich's, where Jay-Z (aka Mr. Beyonce Knowles) hosted an NBA All-Star par-tay, accusing them of cheating All Pro out of proceeds from liquor sales. The promoters claimed to have paid $25,000 to host the event, according to the Courthouse News ... More >>

Washington Avenue Sports Bar Sawyer Park Closes Its Doors After Four Years

Almost from the beginning, Washington Avenue sports bar Sawyer Park was embattled. There were the allegations of racial profiling at the door, a shooting nearby in 2011, the malleable dress codes, it's "doucheoisie" clientele, a partial-blinding of an employee, and the people who still missed it's ... More >>

NBA All Star Weekend: 5 Observations And A Plea For More Barkley

In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel like I should tell you that I chose not to stick around Houston for the NBA All Star Game and it's peripheral festivities (up to and including the transformation of the Galleria into some kind of three-story clown car on Saturday) this past weekend. As a br ... More >>

Oh, You Mean There Is Actually A Game During NBA All-Star Weekend? (Plus, Can You Name The Rappers In Our Courtside Photo?)

After a weekend of human gridlock at the Galleria, traffic snarls, bottles poppin', and all the parties you could handle, NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston came to a close on Sunday with the Western Conference defeating their Eastern foes 143-138, the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul getting the game' ... More >>

Last Night: Sprint All-Star Jam Session Concert With Ludacris And Ke$ha

Sprint Pre-Game Concert feat. B.O.b, Ludacris, and Ke$ha All-Star Jam Session at George R. Brown Convention Center February 17th, 2013 Sunday afternoon, as I was counting down the minutes until I had to leave an amazing All-Star day party, where I was making friends with a beautiful girl, drinking ... More >>

Friday Night: Badass Weekend at Walter's

While much of Houston was embroiled in NBA All-Star Weekend, the north end of downtown was operating on an entirely different end of the spectrum as Walter's hosted its Badass Weekend. Packed with over 30 bands across two days, the show boasted hardcore, noise and grindcore acts from all over the co ... More >>

Ah, Twitter: It's Apparently Also NBA "All Start" Weekend Too

While Houston finds itself mired in NBA All-Star Game fever, a section of Twitter is watching something called the "All Start Game", with players' names that parallel those of the NBA's superstar-packed weekend. Follow this link to a Twitter search to see what I mean. One young lad thinks it was s ... More >>

Your All-Star Weekend Celebrity Guestbook

Rocks Off thought we'd stay as far away as the NBA All-Star Weekend hoopla as possible, so Friday night we went to see the wonderful Tift Merritt at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, where a friend of ours who works there told us he had worked out alongside Common and Ne-Yo at the Downtown YMCA earlier. It's ... More >>

NBA All-Star Madness Closes Galleria

If you had any doubts that the NBA All-Star Game was a major event, you weren't at the Galleria today. And if you were at the Galleria, we hope you weren't crushed. Massive crowds packed every square inch of the mall today -- and the traffic outside was just as horrendous -- so officials closed it ... More >>

Seven ZERO Time NBA All-Stars Who Made More in Career Earnings Than Michael Jordan

I once had a boss who told me "The only thing worse than being underpaid is being overpaid." Looking back, perhaps he was trying to send a message to me personally, but the general message was this -- making too much money makes one utterly expendable. That's a fine notion, and in most walks of li ... More >>

The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Badass Weekend, Tift Merritt, etc.

Badass Weekend Walters/Houston House of Creeps, February 15 and 16 The first annual Badass Weekend is spread out over two days and three stages at Walters, Houston House of Creeps, and the adjoining Ballistic Skate House, and is sure to give you lonely and wild hearts something to do over Valentine ... More >>

You Don't Wanna Buy Fake NBA Gear, Right?

It sucks to get faked out on the court, mostly because it makes you look silly. It sucks even more to get faked out off the court, mostly because it makes you look foolish and naive. With NBA All-Star festivities starting this Friday and leading up to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, hustlers w ... More >>

Last Night: All-Star Weekend Kick-Off Celebration at Warehouse Live

Slim Thug, Z-Ro, etc. Warehouse Live February 14, 2013 If partying it up in the same building as a bunch of famous rappers sounds like a pretty good time to you, you're in luck: Every rapper in existence is in town for the NBA All-Star Game this weekend, and many of them are planning to have a few ... More >>

NBA All-Star Game Features Some of the Best Players Today, Tomorrow, Ever

It's easy to sit around like an old fart and complain about how great All-Star games used to be. In some ways, the old farts are right. There were NBA All-Star games in the `80s and `90s where the number of future Hall of Famers numbered in the mid-teens. No offense to the Jerry Stackhouse, Anthony ... More >>

(UPDATED) The NBA Announces Their 2013 Hall Of Fame Finalists; UH's Guy V. Makes The Cut

(Updated with statement from Guy V. Lewis' family.) Today at the Hilton Americas just steps away from the Toyota Center, the NBA announced their nominees for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The formal announcement of inductees doesn't come until April 8th at the Final Four festivities i ... More >>

The Most Pointless Part of 2013 NBA All-Star Houston: The "Rising Stars" Practice (PRACTICE?!)

It would've been better if the coaches made the players perform drills like the spider, the Cousy or the box-out circle. Hell, even watching these anointed "stars" running suicides would've been riveting compared to the whatever on display at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday morning. ... More >>

The Sounds of H-Town

Cactus Music wants your help with a "Community-Curated Playlist."

The Five Greatest Houston Rockets Who Played In The All-Star Game: A List That Might Surprise You

The Houston Rockets have only sent 14 different players to the NBA All Star game. The team's most celebrated All Stars have routinely been big men and the playground atmosphere of the game does not lend itself to players who need help getting the ball leading to some forgettable performances. Still ... More >>

A Visiting Celebrities Guide To Houston's Sights, Sounds, And Eats

This week the city of Houston will be pummeled with celebs, reality-show dander, 30K-wannabe socialites, and pro athletes in town for the NBA All-Star Game at the Toyota Center. Though the game isn't until Sunday evening, the parties and madness will begin on Wednesday and run until next Monday mo ... More >>

All the Rappers Who Will Be Here All-Star Weekend, Part 2

"Are you going to StripperFest?" "Excuse me, am I going to what?" "StripperFest. It's a thing at All-Star Weekend." Rewind: All the Rappers Who Will Be Here All-Star Weekend, Part 1 If I told you a complete stranger with his or her own guide to All-Star Weekend told me such a thing, I would be ... More >>

Not Buzzworthy? Rockets Winning Games, but Not Hearts and Minds

Tuesday morning, a friend of mine asked a question on Facebook: "Which championship do you most want to see next in Houston, football, basketball or baseball?" Not surprisingly, for most the answer was simple: football. The Houston Rockets are a young, dynamic, offensive-minded team. They have one ... More >>

Six Examples of How James Harden Follows in the Tradition of Great Rockets Hair

When the Houston Rockets acquired James Harden in late October, general manager Daryl Morey finally found the superstar that he longed for. Houston would go on to post billboards around the city featuring Harden with the caption, "The Beard Has Landed!" So far, Harden has delivered, as he is one of ... More >>

Daryl Morey Fires Off A Kurkjian Style Stat Dork Tweet To Defend Jeremy Lin

By any real measurement, the first season for Jeremy Lin as a Houston Rocket has been fairly pedestrian. Statistically, he has struggled shooting the basketball (.399 field goal percentage) and seen his minutes scaled back in recent weeks. Purely to the human eye, Lin has had trouble meshing with ba ... More >>

Comcast SportsNet Houston Debacle Keeping Buzz-Worthy Rockets from Getting Buzz

What if the Rockets won in a forest and no one was there to see it? These are the kinds of philosophical questions many fans must ask themselves this year because the vast majority don't have access to games on TV thanks to an apparent impasse between Comcast SportsNet Houston, the official home of ... More >>

Royce White Versus The Ignorant Mob

Can someone please explain to me why so many people are so pissed off at Royce White? I know why the Rockets are upset - I don't necessarily agree with the Rockets being angry with him, but I get it - but I don't get why my twitter timeline and sports radio and comment sections to stories on White w ... More >>

James Harden Is A Houston Rocket: So, Now What?

I haven't used a Sopranos analogy in a long time, and frankly, since the series has been defunct for more than five years, I have no idea how much longer the Relevancy Police are going to allow me to do so, so if I may: Remember in the first half of Season 6 of The Sopranos, when Tony got shot in t ... More >>

The Young Ones: Rockets Season Will Be Infused With, Complicated By Youth

Back in the late '90s, when the Rockets had real championship aspirations, the team was consistently one of the oldest in the NBA. They routinely filled the end of the roster with guys like Charles Jones, who Rockets TV play-by-play man Bill Worrell affectionately called "Old Man River." By contrast ... More >>

Happy B'Day, Beyoncé: 10 Gift Ideas for Houston's Homegrown Megastar

"What do you get for the woman who has everything?" That question must have been plaguing Sean Carter for the past weeks, at least. His lovely wife, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, whom he so callously stole away from our fair city even though she is 100 percent too good for him, turns 31 today. In the p ... More >>

Bad Ass Weekend

NBA All-Star Jam Session

Sugarland Says It Will Play New BBVA Compass Stadium

Updated with comments from BBVA Compass Stadium Director of Marketing, PR & Booking Gina Rotolo -- 12:24 p.m. Pop-country duo Sugarland will be playing the Houston Dynamo's new stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, the band announced in a set of tour dates on its Web site. The show, scheduled for Aug. 26, ... More >>

Chase Budinger's Painfully Awkward Dialogue with P-Diddy at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest (w/ VIDEO)

The logical evolution of most things brings about positive change. This is especially true in the world of sports and entertainment. Think about anything in either of those realms which you consume, and ask yourself, "Is this experience better now than it was 25 years ago?" For almost everything, be ... More >>

Rap Round Table: Life On The Line, Who Takes The Last Shot?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Zavey, Lil O, Young Sensation, Delo, Brad Gilmore, D-Risha, Preemo, GT Mayne, Eskabel, more Not Invited: Jeremy Lin This Week's ... More >>

Video Proof That Chase Budinger Can Dunk With Flair

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but I'll put it out there -- I enjoy the Saturday festivities at the NBA All-Star weekend even more than the game on Sunday night. The slam dunk contest, the three-point shooting contest, the "whatever-they're-calling-the-game-with-rookies-and-sophomores-this- ... More >>

Top 5 Musical NBA Players

The NBA All-Star Game is coming up in a couple of weeks. There may not be any Rockets on the roster - even ex-Rocket/Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin didn't blow up in time to be added as a reserve - but musical names such as Kanye West, Rihanna (the halftime entertainment), Lenny Kravitz, Josh Groban, ... More >>

Astros Media Day Kicks Off 2012 Season -- 5 Early Storylines

In sandlot football growing up, we always had a saying after touchdowns that "losers walk," meaning the team that scored stays at that end of he field to kick off and the "losers" on defense have to march to the other end of the field to receive. So it's probably appropriate that, due to the NBA c ... More >>

One Man's NBA All-Star Reserve Selections

Go ahead and chalk up the NBA All-Star Game taking place in a few weeks (Sunday, February 26, to be exact) in Orlando's Amway Center as the next "feels weird" moment of the NBA season. It feels like the season just tipped off a few weeks ago and yet here we are, about 20 games in, deciding who the b ... More >>

NBA Purgatory

Neither the best nor the worst, the Rockets remain stuck in professional basketball's great midsection.

Advertisements for Herself

Jolanda Jones says never talk to HPD

2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Video Recap

Justin Bieber, your All-Star MVP​Travel day today back from Phoenix, so I'm submitting the ultimate Cliffs Notes version of dominant performances during the NBA All Star weekend. (I'll be back at full blog strength tomorrow.) Here goes: - Justin Bieber was named most valuable player of the c ... More >>

Top Five Worst Rapper-Athlete Collaborations

​Ever since Shaq flung the doors wide for athletes to satisfy their microphone dreams, many have tried to follow in his steps. The athlete-rapper experiment usually works, as long as the athlete leaves all the rapping to the rapper. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with these five songs. I ... More >>

10 Meaningfully Awesome NBA Dunk Contest Dunks (with VIDEO!)

As All Star Games go, in terms of meaning, effort, enthusiasm, pomp and circumstance, the NBA All Star weekend is in the meaty part of the curve. Football's Pro Bowl becomes a bigger and bigger joke every year (highlighted by fanboy journalist Jay Glazer of Fox actually calling a play in this seaso ... More >>

Houston Bids on 2014 NBA All-Star Game (and 4th Annual Dwight Howard Booty Fest)

The soundtrack for the party of the year​It took four years, but it appears that NBA All-Star weekends are finally starting to feel safe again. No longer fearful that the volatile combination of Pac Man Jones, strip clubs and firearms is a threat, the city of Houston and the Rockets submitt ... More >>

Houston Bidding for 2014 NBA All-Star Game

NBA All-Star Game: Come again?​Is the NBA All-Star Game that big a deal anymore? The game itself is a joke, the competitions attached to it, like the dunk contests, are shadows of their former selves.....oh, but the parties. The parties surrounding an NBA All-Star game can be epic, and Housto ... More >>

MLS All-Star Game: Commissioner, Dynamo Honcho Talk Houston Soccer

Photo by David Clements/MLSMLS Commissioner Don Garber and Dynamo president Jamey Rootes at ZaZa​Last night, Major League Soccer hosted a party for the who's who in Houston. The evening soiree at Hotel ZaZa had players past and present, corporate honchos, team owners and executives; basically anyo ... More >>

All-Star Jam

And Now, Some Hoops

All-Star Weekend culminates with an actual game