Emma Watson Makes Rare Public Appearance at NBA All-Star Celebrity Game: She Was ‘Very Low-Key,’ Source Says (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Tucker Halpern chats with Emma Watson at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Oakland, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2025.Photo:ESPN/TikTok

ESPN/TikTok

Emma Watsonspent Valentine’s Day taking in a little basketball.

TheHarry Potteractress, 34, made a rare public appearance at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 14. A source tells PEOPLE that Emma could be seen holding homemade signs while cheering on musician and fellow Brown University alum Tucker Halpern.

The source says Emma was “very low-key” and seemed “excited to be there.”

TheBeauty and the Beaststar has taken a step back from the spotlight in recent years, even enrolling in a master’s program in creative writing at Oxford University inSeptember 2024.

“I’m just so glad that I [took a break from acting] because I have this feeling of having my own voice and creative space and sovereignty in some way that I don’t think I did before — more autonomy,” she said in a December 2023 interview withVogue UK.

She added: “I’m so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what’s next], because the knowing that I’ve come to, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

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TheLittle Womenactress also has been spending time on a new business venture, Renais Gin, a luxury gin brand she co-founded with her brotherAlex Watson.

“Emma’s kind of at a place now where she is pursuing her creative endeavors more, and we kind of put our heads together and said, ‘It’d be really nice to do this project.' [It] has a big sustainability lens, which is important to both of us,” Alex, 32,told PEOPLEin September 2024.

“Ems has been in front of the camera since she was 9 and then filmed solidly, probably until the age of 25 through theHarry Potterfilms and then a couple of other projects,” he continued, adding, “So, I think when you pause and take a moment and step outside of that, you can then start telling your own stories. And I think that’s what Renais is for her."

The siblings’award-winning spirit, which is infused with natural botanicals like juniper berries, cubeb berries, Kimmeridgian stone, acacia honey, linden flower, grand cru grapes and more, is available in stores and online.

source: people.com