The NBA has chose to hold the 2017 All-Star Game in New Orleans, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.
Advertisement
The Charlotte Hornets were originally set to host the All-Star Game, but the league made a decision to move the exhibition as a response to North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which denies gay and transgender communities protection from discrimination.
This will mark the third time New Orleans has been the site of the league’s All-Star celebration, having previously hosted the event in 2008 and 2014.
The NBA is moving this season’s All-Star Game to New Orleans, as first reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by The Post’s Tim Bontemps, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
To be fair, New Orleans was rumored to be the runner-up shortly after it was announced Charlotte was out of the running. Twenty-one other states have joined North Carolina to challenge the federal overreach by the Obama administration mandating their bathroom policies in all businesses and schools instead of allowing accommodations for unique circumstances.
“Is the National Basketball Association implying that China’s abhorrent violation of basic human rights is acceptable, but North Carolina saying men shouldn’t use the girl [s’] locker room is a bridge too far?” In fact, earlier this year, New Orleans passed an anti-discrimination order that extended a previous law to protect individuals from discrimination based on gender identity.
The All-Star Game itself should be a big boost for the state’s economy.
State lawmakers passed HB2, as the law is commonly called, in a special session in March, after its creation in response to a law passed in Charlotte meant to protect people from discrimination based on their gender identity and sexual orientation.
A number of entertainment acts, including a Bruce Springsteen concert, have canceled North Carolina events because of its so-called HB2 law. Mardi Gras is February 28th.
Advertisement
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an LGBTQ rights organization, applauded the NBA’s decision.
