All-Star Weekend is always a highlight of the NBA calendar, though this year figures to be quite a bit different with COVID continuing to pose challenges. The NBA resumed in December following the shortest offseason in league history (just 73 days passed between the Finals and Opening Night) with a midseason break planned for March 5-10. According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the league and its players association are in negotiations to reinstate the All-Star Game, which will reportedly take place Sunday, March 7th at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Indianapolis, where this year’s All-Star Game was supposed to be held prior to COVID, will instead host in 2024.
Rather than devoting an entire weekend to the event, this year’s All-Star festivities will be condensed into a single night in an effort to transport players in and out of Atlanta as quickly as possible. It’s unclear what that would mean for All-Star staples like the slam dunk and three-point contests, not to mention the celebrity and rookie games, which are usually staged on Friday of All-Star Weekend. Per Wojnarowski, testing and safety protocols are still being “ironed out.”
Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul, who has served as president of the NBPA since 2013, is reportedly on board with the NBA’s plans to hold a March 7th All-Star Game in Atlanta with proceeds from the game benefiting both COVID relief efforts and historically black colleges around the country. Attendance at All-Star Weekend has traditionally been mandatory for players invited to participate in any of the events, though it’s unclear if that policy will be enforced amid the deadliest global pandemic of our lifetime.
Playing the game in Atlanta, which last hosted in 2003, arguably makes the most practical sense considering TNT Studios, also in Atlanta, is only a short drive away. That would allow TNT’s television crew easy access to the event without traveling to a remote location that would require extensive COVID testing and other safety measures.
Fan voting has already commenced with All-Star balloting open until February 16th at 11:59 PM ET. Last year’s All-Star Game was won by Team LeBron with MVP honors going to Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who contributed a game-high 30 points on impressive 11-for-18 shooting including 8-of-14 from downtown.
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