The NBA announced on Friday that New Orleans will be the host for NBA All-Star 2017 and the 66th NBA All-Star Game will be played at the Smoothie King Center on February 19.
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The league made the announcement Friday, about a month after it pulled the game out of Charlotte, North Carolina, in protest of the city’s controversial bathroom law. They first hosted the event in 2008, when the team was known as New Orleans Hornets. With the NBA’s decision, the Tar Heel State will lose out on an estimated 100 million dollars in All-Star Game related profits, on top of the at least $329.9 million already lost in business and taxpayer funds used to defend the discriminatory measure. The city’s vibrant culture lends itself well to the laid-back atmosphere that has come to be associated with the All-Star game and weekend in general.
The NBA All-Star 2017 game is slated to take place on February 19. Jordan went on to say that while they are disappointed, they are looking forward to hopefully hosting the weekend in 2019.
“It just reinforces the fact that New Orleans is a major sporting event destination and a national model for sporting events around the country”, said Jay Cicero, with the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the NBA Allstar host committee chair said.
In the almost five months since North Carolina Gov. McCrory and state lawmakers rammed HB2 into law, the economic fallout has continued to grow as companies concerned with protecting their consumers and employees have moved conventions, trainings, operations, productions, and other events out of state. Davis played nine minutes and scored 10 points. The Pelicans beat out Chicago and NY to become the host team.
A number of entertainment acts, including a Bruce Springsteen concert, have canceled North Carolina events because of its so-called HB2 law. Edwards signed an executive order in April barring discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. But the order hasn’t been challenged in court, and Edwards has vowed to follow it. Landry’s office also has joined 10 other states in a lawsuit filed in May against President Barack Obama’s administration over its directive to USA public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an LGBTQ rights organization, applauded the NBA’s decision.
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It will be the third time New Orleans will have hosted the All-Star Game.
