Turns out that rumor was valid.
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The NBA has chosen New Orleans to replace Charlotte for the 2017 All-Star Game, the league announced Friday. “On behalf of my wife Gayle and the entire Pelicans organization, we thank Governor Edwards, Mayor Landrieu, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, SMG, and all of the others that worked so hard in a short amount of time to bring the All-Star Game to New Orleans”.
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. Nevertheless, hometown teams including the NBA’s Pelicans and the NFL’s New Orleans Saints have also pledged resources and assistance in the recovery effort.
The NBA will hold its All-Star Game in New Orleans, Louisiana, next year, the pro basketball league announced on Friday (19 August).
The game is scheduled for 19 February, during the first weekend of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parades.
A league decision to move the game to New Orleans, he said, would “strongly reaffirm its commitment to communities that value fairness and inclusion”. The NBA All-Star Practice, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and NBA Development League All-Star Game will all take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mardi Gras is February 28th. New Orleans seems to be a ideal fit for the event.
The NBA’s decision is welcome good news for Louisiana which has been hit hard in the Baton Rouge area by flooding. 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.
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Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and other artists have canceled shows in North Carolina to protest the state’s law, and North Carolina could lose millions in tourism and corporate revenue as businesses and artists retreat. The law also has the effect of requiring transgender men, many of whom wear facial hair and obviously masculine clothing, to use the women’s room alongside young girls. Edwards’ anti-discrimination order was similar to orders enacted by two former Louisiana Democratic governors – but he added language protecting against discrimination based on gender identity, a provision that protects transgender people.
