Nicki Minaj, NBA All-Star Game: Rapper Joins Pitbull, Mary J. Blige

NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA All-Star players will be getting quite the introduction this year: Nicki Minaj will sing a medley of her hits as the players are announced to the crowd.

Minaj is part of a celeb lineup for the All-Star game, to be held Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla. Mary J. Blige will sing the U.S. national anthem and the group Neverest will sing the Canadian anthem. Pitbull, along with Ne-Yo and Nayer, will perform during the halftime show.

Will.i.am, Flo Rida and "The Voice" winner Javier Colon are expected to perform at All-Star pregame events on Feb. 25.

Common, Ne-Yo, Kevin Hart and other stars will participate in the Feb. 24 All-Star celebrity game. The coaches will feature All-Star players Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant.

"Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL."