NBA officially awards 2023 All-Star weekend to Salt Lake City
For the first time in 30 years, the NBA All-Star game will be returning to Utah.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that Salt Lake City will host the 2023 All-Star weekend on Wednesday, ahead of the Utah Jazz’s season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Along with a rich basketball tradition, Salt Lake City has proven to be a world-class destination for large-scale events and sports competitions,” Silver said in a statement. “I want to thank the Miller family and the Utah Jazz organization for their commitment to hosting our All-Star festivities and to developing a program that will leave a lasting impact on the community.”
The Jazz officially submitted its bid for the All-Star game in 2018, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, using several new hotel projects in the city and a major renovation to Salt Lake City International Airport that is scheduled to be completed by 2023 to bolster their bid.
Vivint Smart Home Arena underwent a massive $125 million renovation before the Jazz submitted the bid, too. The upgraded arena and all of the changes to the city since it last hosted the event in 1993 is something Jazz president Jim Olson said he can’t wait to show off.
“That’s what we’re most excited about,” Olson said in a statement. “I think visitors that haven’t been to Salt Lake are going to find this is a much different city. The growth downtown, Silicon Slopes, it’s a different place, and we think there’s going to be a lot for people to see.”
The NBA has now announced locations for the next four All-Star weekends. This season will be at the United Center in Chicago. Indianapolis will host the event in 2021, and Cleveland will follow in 2022. All-Star weekend will officially kick off in Salt Lake City on February 17, 2023.
“I think the city will really embrace it, and I think the city deserves the All-Star game,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said, via the Deseret News. “I think it’s great for the city and for the state.”
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