Report: New Orleans to replace Charlotte for 2017 NBA All-Star Game
By David Rouben
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is on the brink of making New Orleans the new host of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game instead of Charlotte.
When Charlotte was awarded as the host for the NBA All-Star Game in 2017, there was immediate backlash. The reason being was that a bill known as HB2 was passed which banned protection of LGBT members from discrimination, despite the fact that gay marriage is now legal across the United States.
Plenty of people voiced their concern over this bill, and called for the All-Star Game to be pulled, with teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks offering to move the game to their cities. However, while the NBA stuck with Charlotte initially, Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the league is now on the verge of moving the game to New Orleans:
Sources: NBA on brink of pulling 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, with New Orleans emerging as a front-runner to host Feb. 19 game.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 21, 2016
While people should be happy that the NBA All-Star Game is moving from Charlotte, the decision to move it to New Orleans may cause some backlash. They’ve already hosted it twice in 2008 and 2014, and this would make it the third time in nine years. And while New Orleans is undoubtedly a fun city, it’s not a big market, and there won’t be many players who could represent the host city besides Anthony Davis.
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However, that’s a minor issue comparative to holding the NBA All-Star Game in a city where people turn a blind eye to LGBT discrimination. Suffice to say, they’ve made the right choice here.
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