NBA All-Star hype around Anthony Davis is picking up momentum

The 2017 NBA All-Star weekend kicks off three weeks from today in New Orleans, but don’t be surprised if Anthony Davis remains as one of the most prominent faces for all the festivities until that time arrives.

Red Bull recently released a comical audition tape of Anthony Davis shooting three-pointers. Obviously he’s not serious about entering the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, but it serves as a good reminder that Davis will be the unofficial host of the entire weekend.

Although the upcoming All-Star game will mark Davis’ fourth appearance, it should wind up serving as one of his most memorable trips when he looks back on his career someday.

Three years ago, Davis replaced an injured Kobe Bryant and received an opportunity to play in front of his hometown; however, since he was only midway through his second season in the league, the widespread fanfare wasn’t quite there. AD saw just 9:35 minutes of action and scored 10 points in his first All-Star game appearance.

Expect a much different result this time. Davis has already gone on record saying he aims to walk away with the game’s Most Valuable Player trophy, and as one of the league’s most popular players, everyone is going to request a piece of his time. Despite what’s likely to be a flurry of activity around the clock, Davis should enjoy sitting front and center.

In last year’s edition held in Toronto, Canada, Kyle Lowry reminded fans it’s really special to play in one’s hometown.

“But being an All-Star in your city, man, that’s where it is. That’s what you want to do. That’s the cool part, being in your city."

What are the chances Davis wins the MVP? I’d honestly put them at less than 50/50. The last time a hometown player walked away with the award was back in 2004 when Shaquille O’Neal received the honor in Staples Center. Additionally expect a few of Davis’ teammates to reach for some of the spotlight. Russell Westbrook may be eager to show everyone he was deserving of a starting nod as well as make a point to Kevin Durant that he shouldn’t have turned his back on Oklahoma City. James Harden is another guard who has gotten used to carrying the load all season so he may not be able to take a backseat either.

Either way, the 2017 All-Star weekend should end a success, both for fans and Anthony Davis, and to make everything a little more enjoyable, the NBA has released emojis for all the participants.

Simply use a hashtag before each player’s full name and a star with the correct uniform number will appear!