RELATED: Meet the Milwaukee Bucks’ Off-the-Court Stars
Several members of the Milwaukee Bucks’ entertainment crew will be in Cleveland for this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities.
They will join Bucks’ stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, who will participate in the All-Star Game on Sunday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Shawna Nicols, better known to Bucks’ fans as DJ Shawna, has been selected to serve as the official DJ for the All-Star Game as well as Friday’s Rising Stars event. Nicols, 38, starred on the court at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee and played hoops in college, followed by a stint playing professionally overseas. She first took on her role with the Bucks during the 2016-’17 season.
Nicols touched down in Cleveland on Wednesday and took to social media to share her excitement.
Just touched down in The Land and I am incredibly honored to be representing THE WORLD CHAMPION MILWAUKEE @Bucks as the 2022 NBA All-Star Game Official DJ! pic.twitter.com/NRDd466d0N
— DJ Shawna (@DJShawna) February 16, 2022
Melanie Ricks will be the in-game host for the All-Star Game. Ricks’ association with the Bucks began at age 12 as a member of their junior dance team. She later earned a spot on the Bucks’ professional dance squad before gradually moving into the role of in-game host, a job she has now held for nine years. Ricks, 30, also has had a chance to serve as on-court reporter this season for the Bucks television broadcasts.
Ricks also arrived in Cleveland on Wednesday after working in the on-court role for Tuesday night’s game between the Bucks and the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum.
Touched down in The Land!!! All Star Weekend ‘22 let’s goooooo 🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/JUhBUe95WH
— Melanie Ricks (@melaniebricks) February 16, 2022
Johnny Watson, who oversees in-game entertainment for the Bucks, has also been selected to take part in All-Star Weekend, along with two members of his team – Kate Ulrich, the Bucks’ director of live programming and entertainment, and Allie Stevenson, the team’s manager of live programming. They will handle various duties during the weekend.
On the court, Antetokounmpo will be an All-Star Game starter for the sixth consecutive season. With his sixth All-Star selection, Antetokounmpo ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most selections in franchise history. Fans, media and players determined the starters for the game.
Middleton was selected as an All-Star Game reserve. This marks the third All-Star selection for Middleton.
The Bucks still have another game to play before the All-Star break. Milwaukee hosts the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum on Thursday.
