It has been a long, ongoing process between the NBA and the state of North Carolina regarding the 2017 NBA All-Star game. But, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and the NBA finally reached it. At 2 p.m. ET, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that the NBA was ready to pull the game out of Charlotte, with New Orleans cited as the favorite to get the game.
Now, it's officially gone from the Queen City. From Wojnarowski:
Without any movement by state legislators in North Carolina to change newly enacted laws targeted at the LGBT community, the NBA is pulling the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, league sources told The Vertical.
The NBA is focused on the New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center as the host for All-Star Weekend and the All-Star Game on Feb. 19, league sources told The Vertical.
For now, there are still other cities trying to lure the All-Star Game, sources said.
The controversial law commonly referred to as the “Bathroom Bill” prevents transgendered individuals from using the bathroom of which they identify with sexually. This is, obviously, out of line with the NBA's values.
The NBA is standing by its beliefs and refuses to have the game in the state of North Carolina as long as the state continues to discriminate against the LGBT community. The process of this has been dragged on for awhile now, and it's a relief for the league to have this all figured out. Especially given that the new city who will host the game needs an ample amount of time to prepare.
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