It’s official: Atlanta, Georgia, will be the host city of the NBA All Star game on March 7, 2021. The NBA players union agreed to the date, making it a reality.
The event will be Atlanta’s first major sports event since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
More than a week ago, senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, tweeted that the NBA and The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) were in talks to still have an All-Star game.
When Will The 2021 NBA All-Star Game Be?
The players and the league had to get on the same page regarding a date and city that was mutually acceptable to both parties. As a result, they settled on the NBA All-Star game date of Sunday, March 7, 2021 in downtown Atlanta’s Philips Arena.
Back when it was still just an idea, NBA insiders opined that a city that was also a strong TV broadcasting mecca made sense.
“One site under discussion is Atlanta, home of Turner Sports. That idea includes providing support for HBCU’s and COVID-19 relief,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
The overall plan would incorporate several other pieces to support other Atlanta institutions that are suffering due to COVID-19.
Any All Star game held in Atlanta would have to adhere to strict COVID protocols. One advantage the city has is that it is the home of Turner Sports, which has the primary TV contract with the league.
The NBA originally announced that there would postpone the All Star game for 2021:
“Public health conditions prevented the Pacers, the NBA All-Star Host Committee and the NBA from appropriately planning and executing fan-focused All-Star activities in Indianapolis that were envisioned for this February,” a league statement on Nov. 25 read, while announcing that Indianapolis would instead host the 2024 All-Star Game.
Then there are the logistical concerns posed by having such a large sporting event in the city, although Atlanta successfully hosted the SEC Championship a few months earlier.
When Is The Last Time Atlanta Hosted The NBA All-Star Game?
Only two times in the past 40+ years has the NBA All-Star Game been played in Atlanta. The first occurrence came in 1978 at The Omni coliseum. Years later, the game returned in 2003 at Philips Arena.
If the big game does return to the city, it would be held at State Farm Arena, which has been used a polling precinct most recently.
Back in 2003, the NBA’s biggest stars (Kobe, Lebron, Allen Iverson, etc.) converged on downtown Atlanta to have one of the largest and most congested events the city has ever had.
Here is some footage of the NBA All-Star game held in Atlanta in 2003: