Report: NBA discussing holding All-Star game, possibly in Atlanta, in March
Report: NBA discussing holding All-Star game in March originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The NBA is discussing holding an All-Star game -- possibly in Atlanta, Ga. -- in early March, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday.
ESPN Sources: The NBA and NBPA are discussing scenarios to still hold an All-Star game in March. One site under discussion is Atlanta, home of Turner Sports. That idea includes providing support for HBCU’s and COVID-19 relief. Story soon on site.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 25, 2021
Because of the scheduling irregularities that playing amid the COVID-19 pandemic presents, the NBA is releasing its regular season schedule in two parts. The first half runs through March 4; then, after a five-day midseason break, segment two is currently slated to run from March 11 to May 16. The schedule for the latter portion has yet to be released.
According to Wojnarowski's reporting, the league and NBPA are in "ongoing talks" about holding the exhibition on March 7, which falls in the middle of that five-day break.
Wojnarowski's report also notes that players association president Chris Paul has supported the idea of putting on a game because of the opportunity to "financially benefit Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and COVID-19 relief," and that Atlanta is the home city of Turner Sports, a television partner of the NBA.
Marc Stein of the New York Times added that plans include possibly hosting the game on an HBCU campus, and that the league intends to have All-Star voting whether there is a game or not.
The NBA will institute All~Star voting this season with or without a game, sources say
Proposals for staging an actual All-Star game include holding it on an HBCU campus in the Atlanta area in the March 6-7 range— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 25, 2021
All-Star Weekend 2021 was originally supposed to be held in Indianapolis, In., but those festivities were postponed to 2024 in November.
As of Monday, the league has postponed 21 games for protocol-related reasons.
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