The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of holding an All-Star Game in early March – with Atlanta emerging as the likely venue, sources told ESPN.
The traditional All-Star Weekend – previously scheduled for Indianapolis in February – has been canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but sources tell ESPN that there are ongoing conversations with the league and the union about a March 7 game in Atlanta it would be a long way away Reduced version of typical All-Star Weekend festivities, the sources said.
The NBA has a mid-season break scheduled for March 5-10.
NBPA President Chris Paul of Phoenix Suns was an advocate of the idea, which would include the display and benefit of historically black colleges and universities and COVID-19 aid funds, the sources said. Both the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena and the academies on the Atlanta HBCU campus are being considered to host a potential game, the sources said.
Atlanta is the home of Turner Sports, which could broadcast the game on television without its team having to travel outside the city. Even a game without fans – or with a sparse and socially distant audience – would still require significant travel for players, support staff and league officials in the midst of the pandemic. The typical hosting of corporate sponsors, a significant financial component of normal All-Star weekends, would not be possible.
The conversations center on a simplified All-Star game scenario that would be largely game-focused – with few fan-related experiences, if any, around it, the sources said.
The NBA has postponed 21 regular season games that need to be rebuilt this season. The NBA gave Indianapolis the 2024 All-Star Weekend to replace the loss of the event in 2021.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN contributed to this report.