Earlier than SOFI TUKKER crammed pageant phases with their unapologetic dance anthems, Tucker Halpern was a 6’9″ basketball phenom at Brown College, carving a path towards the professionals.
Basketball was his full id, however when a mysterious sickness benched him for seven grueling months again in 2011, his plans unraveled and he withdrew from Brown. In that void—and within the throes of despair—he stumbled into digital music, and the world acquired SOFI TUKKER.
Quick-forward to 2025, and Halpern is lastly suiting up for the NBA—form of. The chart-topping DJ and producer is hitting the hardwood for the 2025 NBA All-Star Movie star Sport, fulfilling what he says is a lifelong dream.
“All of us develop up with loopy desires, mine was to be an NBA All-Star,” Halpern wrote on social media. “I labored for 22 years pushing myself to the bodily restrict to get as shut as I probably may, however it was out of attain for a lot of causes.”
It is a poetic twist: the very factor that sidelined his basketball profession grew to become the catalyst for his musical success, and now music is his ticket again to the courtroom. Halpern, who was his highschool’s all-time scoring chief and a McDonald’s All-American nominee earlier than captaining his faculty workforce at Brown, admits he’s not the athlete he as soon as was, however that is inappropriate.
“Immediately, a few years later, I get to say that music has introduced me full circle to satisfy my largest dream, to play within the NBA (Movie star All-Star Sport),” Halpern continued. “If you realize me you understand how a lot this implies to me. I’m not the participant or athlete I as soon as was, however I’m doing my finest to get again into it and check out to not embarrass myself.”
View the original article to see embedded media.
He is set to hoop in Oakland alongside Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, Orange Is the New Black actor Pablo Schreiber, streamer Kai Cenat and nation music artist Shaboozey, amongst others. Halpern’s workforce will likely be coached by 2 Chainz and baseball’s all-time house runs chief, Barry Bonds, whereas his opponents will likely be led by NFL legend Jerry Rice and influencer Khaby Lame.
Halpern opened up about his taking part in days in an interview with EDM.com final summer time, once we sat down with him and his SOFI TUKKER bandmate, Sophie Hawley-Weld, to debate their third album, BREAD.
“Seeing myself as an artist… it was a tough transition,” Halpern stated. “After I first informed folks, ‘I wish to make music, I wish to be a producer, I wish to be a DJ, I wish to be an artist,’ they kinda laughed. They’re like, ‘No, you are on this field. You are an athlete, you possibly can’t try this.’ And it wasn’t till there was sufficient folks believing in it that accepted me as an artist or accepted that I wasn’t simply an athlete pretending to be an artist.”
The 2025 NBA All-Star Movie star Sport is scheduled to air on ESPN Friday, February 14th at 7pm ET.
Trending Merchandise
