Sofi Tukker’s Tucker Halpern is lacing up his sneakers to play hoops in the 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
The producer, DJ, and instrumentalist, who is one half of the duo alongside Sophie Hawley-Weld, announced on social media yesterday that he’s been selected to suit up for the star-studded annual pick-up game, fulfilling a dream that dates back to his days as a college hooper.
Before he was making hits like “Purple Hat” and “Drinkee,” Halpern was a budding star forward and team captain at Brown. Ranking eighth in the Ivy League in points per game his sophomore year, he was planning to pursue a career in the pros but a seven-month bout with illness forced him to miss the entire 2011-2012 season, and eventually withdraw from the university.
With his hoop dreams seemingly crushed, Halpern turned to electronic music and soon linked up with Hawley-Weld to form Sofi Tukker in 2014. Now, a handful of Grammy nominations and certified records later, the dream is alive again.
“We all grow up with crazy dreams, mine was to be an NBA All-Star,” Halpern wrote on Instagram. “I worked for 22 years pushing myself to the physical limit to get as close as I possibly could, but it was out of reach for many reasons. Today, many years later, I get to say that music has brought me full circle to fulfill my biggest dream, to play in the NBA (Celebrity All-Star Game).”
He’ll hit the hardwood in Oakland, California, next Friday, February 14, playing alongside former NBA stars, and celebrities like Kai Cenat, Noah Kahan, Terrell Owens, Druski, and Shaboozey, under the coaching guidance of home run hitter Barry Bonds and rapper 2 Chainz. Fans can watch the telecast on ESPN at 7PM ET.
Check out Halpern’s full post below.
View this post on Instagram
Featured image from Sofi Tukker.
