Charlotte is getting its NBA All-Star Game back in 2019.
In an announcement from the NBA on Wednesday morning, the NBA announced it has awarded the 2019 All-Star Game to the city of Charlotte after the state of North Carolina made an amendment to its controversial bathroom laws. The bathroom law, House Bill 2, was the reason the NBA initially decided to yank its 2017 all-star event out of Charlotte and relocate it to New Orleans.
But with a new approach to the bathroom laws in the state, the NBA has agreed the time is right to return the all-star event to the home of the Charlotte Hornets.
NBA announces Charlotte will host the 2019 All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/k4UmdnK7CK
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) May 24, 2017
“For three decades, the NBA has had a home in Charlotte,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in the statement. “Generations of families have attended games there, and fans from many different walks of life have come together to share a passion for a team that is an anchor in the community.”
“We have decided to award [the] NBA All-Star 2019 to Charlotte based on this deep connection and the belief that we can honor our shared values of equality and inclusion, and we are excited to bring the All-Star Game back to Charlotte for the first time in 28 years.”
The NBA is also outlining equality principles for the 2019 All-Star Game, which will likely set the standard moving forward for the league’s mid-season extravaganza.
In addition, the league mandates principles for equality for All-Star weekend. pic.twitter.com/RZ2BLLy4vp
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) May 24, 2017
Last October, Silver made it pretty clear that getting the All-Star Game back to Charlotte as early as possible would be a priority. Once the state revised its stance on the bathroom laws, even though there is still room for criticism in the eyes of some who feel the new approach is not good enough, it was inevitable the NBA would act quickly to return the All-Star Game to Charlotte.
In similar fashion, the ACC moved quickly on restoring its championship events in the state of North Carolina, including its football championship game in Charlotte. This followed the NCAA’s decision to “reluctantly” return championship events to the state as well.
So from a sports business standpoint, the damage done by the controversial HB2 has been rectified. The NCAA is back. The ACC is back. And now, the NBA is back. The financial hit has been dropped on North Carolina, but now some of those concerns can be put to rest.
Very happy for the Hornets organization, the city of Charlotte and the states of North and South Carolina #BuzzCity #AllStar2019 pic.twitter.com/g8hoWuTqSA
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) May 24, 2017
