The NBA All-Star Game is six months away but the Association is planning out their future amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the All-Star Weekend may be an unfortunate casualty.
According to WISH-TV’s Anthony Calhoun, the NBA canceled hotel contracts in Indianapolis for All Star Weekend which was set to take place Valentine’s Day weekend. It’s too early to determine what this really means for next year’s All-Star Game but it likely means that their regularly scheduled matchup of top NBA stars will not be taking place in Indianapolis next February.
BREAKING: more on 2021 #NBA All-Star Game in Indy. Statement now from NBA Spokesperson: @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/xf7apl5Bgv
— Anthony Calhoun 📺 (@ACwishtv) August 17, 2020
Despite the news, there are a variety of scenarios that can happen as a result. The game could be canceled, and that could be the case regardless of pandemic conditions in February. With this postseason delayed by a couple months, there is going to be a shortened offseason. Load management from players seems bad enough when it was pre-COVID but it’ll be worse next season. Eliminating the All-Star Game will take away an additional game not many players will probably want to play in, especially if fans can’t attend.
On the other hand, the game could go on, just in a different circumstance. If the NBA sees that the situation isn’t going to improve and goes with another “bubble” for the 2020-21 season, they’re obviously not going to Indianapolis to play the All-Star Game. There might be an All-Star Game but it would happen in the bubble. That, or if the season is delayed to provide a longer offseason, the All-Star Game will need to be moved to a later date to fit in as a midseason break.
There are so many scenarios that could take place but canceling hotels in Indy means that the NBA feels that the pandemic will result in schedule alterations throughout next February. That’s depressing to think about because we’re only five months into this pandemic and we’re going to have aftereffects nearly a year since things started to be canceled but that’s the reality we’re facing. Nothing is guaranteed these days, even if that thing seems far away.
