John Legend named halftime performer for NBA All-Star Game

NEW YORK - John Legend will return to the NBA All-Star weekend as the game's halftime performer, it was announced Monday.

The Grammy-and-Oscar-winning singer-songwriter performed the national anthem at the annual showcase in Houston in 2013. He was a halftime performer in Phoenix in 2009.

The All-Star game is scheduled Feb. 19 in New Orleans. It was moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, because of a state law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their birth gender in public buildings.

Legend released his fifth album, ''Darkness and Light,'' this month.

The All-Star game will air live on TNT.