'Stranger Things' Star to Showcase Skills in NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas in the show, will play in next week's game.

ByABC News
February 9, 2017, 4:35 PM

— -- “Stranger Things” star Caleb McLaughlin will play in next week’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and he is gearing up for the experience.

“I’m really nervous and I’m really excited just to see the people there,” he told ABC News. “I get to meet my favorite basketball players … a lot of the NBA stars.”

McLaughlin, who plays Lucas on the hit Netflix series, said he used to play five-on-five with his friends in the park, but he’s not yet ready to say if his team will be the winner.

“I’m not going to be too cocky,” he said. “You never know. I’m going to go there and have fun and make it the best I can.”

As for the new season of “Stranger Things,” which premieres on Netflix this Halloween, McLaughlin said he's excited for fans to see what they’ve been working on. He said he thinks the buzz swirling around the first season will lead to new viewers this time around.

“People are definitely going to pick it up,” he said.

The first season of the show focused on friends Lucas (McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) teaming up with the mysterious and powerful Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to find their missing friend Will (Noah Schnapp). Last season’s cliffhanger ending has left fans anxious to see what’s next for the gang, especially after the new trailer debuted during Sunday's Super Bowl, and McLaughlin says he was just as enthusiastic to get back to work.

“It was a lot of pressure because the first season was so good and we want season two to be good,” he said. “It’s still fun because you get to read the second part of the ‘Stranger Things’ story … and just see how our characters develop.”

“Stranger Things” airs on Netflix and will return Oct. 31. The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, also featuring Mark Cuban, Andy Grammer, Nick Cannon, Ansel Elgort and more, will air Feb. 17 on ESPN.