Ever since the NBA formally announced that the 2017 All-Star game was being moved out of Charlotte, New Orleans was listed as a front runner to host the event. It has remained in that top spot despite contending bids from cities like New York and Chicago, and now a new report has surfaced indicating that it's only a matter of time until the association formally names the Big Easy as the location of the upcoming All-Star festivities.
From Scott Kushner and Brett Dawson of the Baton Rouge Advocate:
New Orleans officials are closing in on a deal with the NBA to host the 2017 All Star Game and are in the process of ironing out details, multiple league sources told The Advocate…
If everything goes to plan, there is a formal announcement expected to take place early next week, sources said.
ESPN confirmed the report shortly after.
New Orleans hosted All-Star weekend in both 2008 and 2014, and the league is confident that they can successfully prepare for the event on short notice. New Orleans Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha believes they can as well:
“It's a very short time frame,” Lauscha said on the podcast. “I mean, this is going to be on us very quickly, so I know they want to get that decided and we want to know so we can start shifting resources and assets to make this a successful game.”
The NBA has stated its desire to reschedule the All-Star game in Charlotte for 2019, pending a change to North Carolina's discriminatory House Bill 2 that limits the protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
It should be noted that New York, Illinois, and Louisiana, the three states that the association is considering as replacement hosts, all have state laws that protect the LGBT community from discrimination.
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