I reported a few weeks ago that the NBA has decided to move the 2017 All-Star weekend out of Charlotte, North Carolina and today that move has become official. The NBA has announced today that New Orleans will be the host city of the 2017 NBA All-Star festivities.
According to ESPN,
New Orleans replaces Charlotte, which was set to host the game until the NBA decided last month that it wouldn’t hold its marquee, mid-season event in North Carolina because of a state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.
Unlike several other Southern states, Louisiana has not been swept up in legislative efforts to pass laws similar to that in North Carolina — a fact Gov. John Bel Edwards has touted while lobbying the NBA to bring its All-Star weekend to New Orleans for a third time.
This marks the third time New Orleans, which became an NBA city for the second time in 2002, has been selected to host the league’s All-Star Game since 2008, less than three years after Hurricane Katrina struck. All-Star weekend also came to the Big Easy in 2014, when New Orleans Pelicans forward and center Anthony Davis made his All-Star debut. Davis would play the All-Star Game in his home arena again if he is named to the Western Conference squad for a fourth straight season.
Hosting the All-Star Game provides a considerable boost to New Orleans, which has a history of hosting major sporting events but has seen its last two bids to host a Super Bowl come up short. New Orleans also bid unsuccessfully to host one of the NCAA Final Fours between 2017 and 2021.
A number of entertainment acts, including a Bruce Springsteen concert, have canceled North Carolina events because of its so-called HB2 law.
The 2017 NBA All-Star Game takes place on February 19th and will kickoff around the same time as Mardi Gras. Book your rooms now and get ready for a good time in New Orleans. Stay tuned to HHS1987 for all your new music. Follow @eldorado2452 on Twitter and Instagram for all your music and entertainment news.
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