The New Orleans Pelicans have been named the host team for the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend. This is the third time since 2008 that the midseason festivities will be held in New Orleans.
In a statement, Adam Silver said, “New Orleans is a world-class destination for sports and entertainment and we are very appreciative that the city is once again hosting our All-Star festivities.”
The All-Star Game was originally going to be played in Charlotte, but it was removed on July 21 because of anti-LGBT laws that were passed in March.
The law, named HB2, states that transgendered individuals can only use public restrooms of the gender that was on their birth certificates, among other discriminatory restrictions.
In a statement released by the NBA back in July, the league announced the decision to remove the weekend from Charlotte.
“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.”
This didn’t come as a surprise for Charlotte, though. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement in March warning them of the situation.
“We are deeply concerned that this discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles of equality and mutual respect, and do not yet know what impact it will have on our ability to successfully host the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte.”
Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan agreed with the decision “We understand the NBA’s decision and the challenges around holding the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte this season.” Jordan went on to say that while they are disappointed, they are looking forward to hopefully hosting the weekend in 2019.
New Orleans first hosted the All-Star Game in 2008. Most recently, Anthony Davis played in his home arena during his All-Star debut in 2014. Davis played nine minutes and scored 10 points. Also that weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge, Davis scored 16 points and had 8 rebounds.
New Orleans was the early front-runner to host the weekend because of the success they’ve had in the past hosting it. The Pelicans beat out Chicago and New York to become the host team.
The All-Star Weekend will begin on February 17th, and culminate with the playing of the 66th All-Star Game on Sunday, February 19.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been named the host team for the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend. This is the third time since 2008 that the midseason festivities will be held in New Orleans.
In a statement, Adam Silver said, “New Orleans is a world-class destination for sports and entertainment and we are very appreciative that the city is once again hosting our All-Star festivities.”
The All-Star Game was originally going to be played in Charlotte, but it was removed on July 21 because of anti-LGBT laws that were passed in March.
The law, named HB2, states that transgendered individuals can only use public restrooms of the gender that was on their birth certificates, among other discriminatory restrictions.
In a statement released by the NBA back in July, the league announced the decision to remove the weekend from Charlotte.
“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.”
This didn’t come as a surprise for Charlotte, though. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement in March warning them of the situation.
“We are deeply concerned that this discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles of equality and mutual respect, and do not yet know what impact it will have on our ability to successfully host the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte.”
Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan agreed with the decision “We understand the NBA’s decision and the challenges around holding the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte this season.” Jordan went on to say that while they are disappointed, they are looking forward to hopefully hosting the weekend in 2019.
New Orleans first hosted the All-Star Game in 2008. Most recently, Anthony Davis played in his home arena during his All-Star debut in 2014. Davis played nine minutes and scored 10 points. Also that weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge, Davis scored 16 points and had 8 rebounds.
New Orleans was the early front-runner to host the weekend because of the success they’ve had in the past hosting it. The Pelicans beat out Chicago and New York to become the host team.
The All-Star Weekend will begin on February 17th, and culminate with the playing of the 66th All-Star Game on Sunday, February 19.