The National Basketball Association (NBA) annual All-Star exhibition match and the iconic March Madness collegiate basketball tournament will bring the very best of basketball to screens across Africa this month on  ESPN and ESPN2.

The NBA All-Star match will air on ESPN2 (DStv channel 219) in the early hours of Monday (3am SA time).

To whet fans’ appetites, the exciting 3-Point Skills Contest will take place right before the game in Atlanta on ESPN2 from 1.30am, with Portland Trailblazers superstar Damian Lillard set to take part.

Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant lead the list of 10 players who have been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to star in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

The two legends will serve as team captains for the Team LeBron vs Team Durant matchup as both players lead their respective conferences in voting and will draft the rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves for each conference.

Durant will, however, not play in the game due to a hamstring injury that has prevented him from playing in the last seven Nets games. He will stay on as captain, though, after receiving  the most fan votes of any player in the Eastern Conference. Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis will replace Durant on the court, with Boston’s Jayson Tatum moved up from reserve to starter to fill that void.

The action on American basketball courts continues later in the month as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness matches are scheduled to start on March 18.

With last year's tournament having been cancelled due to the pandemic, fans are chomping at the bit for this year’s instalment of March Madness, which will be broadcast live on DStv channel 218.