ESPN is reporting that someone with inside knowledge told the Associated Press that the 2017 All-Star game has been moved to New Orleans. This news is not a shock, New York and Chicago were the other choices apparently, and New Orleans recently hosted the All-Star game back in 2014.
This decision came after the NBA told the state of North Carolina that it would move the game if they did not repeal the legislation, known as the “bathroom bill,” that discriminates against the LGBT community. The state has not made any attempt to change that legislation, so it was announced back in July that the game would be played somewhere else.
The All-Star game generates a lot of money for the host city, and there will certainly be some effort to help those that have been affected by the terrible floods that have killed several people in Louisiana. It was a special moment for the community down there when the All-Star game came to New Orleans back in 2008, just 3 years after Hurricane Katrina, so this time the event may have a similar effect.
According to ESPN, back in April, the Democratic governor of Louisiana banned discrimination in state government based on sexual orientation and gender identity, helping to protect those that are discriminated against by the North Carolina law. This sentiment of community and love for diversity surely played a part in the NBA’s decision to move the 2017 All-Star game to New Orleans.
