LA to host 2018 NBA All-Star Game

For the third time in the last 14 years, the NBA All-Star Game will be coming to Southern California, as the NBA announced today that Los Angeles has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2018.

The 67th annual game will take place at Staples Center, home of the L.A. Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers, on Sunday, February 18.  This will mark the record sixth NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles, which hosted in 2011, 2004, 1983, 1972, and 1963, and the third All-Star Game at Staples Center (2011 and 2004).

While hosting the 2018 All-Star Game still doesn't make up for the NBA's unprecedented decision to cancel the Lakers' Chris Paul trade, it nevertheless is a significant gesture by the league, and will provide quite a boost to the City and its fans.

“Los Angeles is known for first-class hospitality and entertainment, making it the perfect host for NBA All-Star,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  “The city is home to some of the most passionate basketball fans in addition to extraordinary facilities, including Staples Center and L.A. Live.  We thank Mayor Garcetti, Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer, Lakers President and Co-Owner Jeanie Buss and AEG President and CEO Dan Beckerman for their support in bringing All-Star back to L.A.”

NBA All-Star on-court events will tip off on Friday, Feb. 16, at Staples Center with the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, where the league’s top rookies and second-year players take the court.  On Feb. 17, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature current NBA players showcasing their skills in exciting basketball competitions that include the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, where participants compete head-to-head in a series of passing, shooting and agility drills; the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest; and Verizon Slam Dunk.  The weekend concludes on Sunday with the NBA All-Star Game.

“All-Star is a premiere event, so it’s fitting that it’ll be hosted by Los Angeles, the premiere sports city in America, and by Staples Center, one of the premiere arenas in the world,” said Los Angeles Lakers President and Co-Owner Jeanie Buss.  “2004 and 2011 proved what a great combination this is, and 2018 will prove it again.”

In partnership with AEG, the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC) and the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board (LATCB), the NBA will host several events for fans of all ages at venues throughout the city, including the Los Angeles Convention Center and L.A. Live.  These events, including NBA All-Star Practice, the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Mountain Dew and the NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire, will feature interactive programming bringing fans closer to NBA and WNBA players and legends.

"Since becoming part of L.A. through my ownership of the Clippers, I've witnessed firsthand the passion this city has for basketball and celebrating world-class talent, and I can't wait to see what's in store for both players and fans during NBA All-Star 2018," said Ballmer.  "I'm also thrilled that Mayor Garcetti and the city of Los Angeles will be able to show off their vision and the incredible evolution of downtown L.A."

NBA All-Star Game 2018 will be televised in prime time on TNT for the 16th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 33rd year of NBA All-Star coverage.  The game will be broadcast worldwide in more than 200 countries and territories and in more than 40 languages.

"Los Angeles is one of the world's great basketball cities – a place where players become legends and great NBA moments last forever," said LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.  "Now we will make history again, in 2018, by hosting our sixth NBA All-Star Game, something no other city has done.  I look forward to working with the NBA and our local partners on this amazing event at Staples Center, which will bring thousands of visitors to Los Angeles, and generate more than $100 million of economic activity."

NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto featured the highest-scoring All-Star Game in NBA history; an epic Verizon Slam Dunk won by reigning champion Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves; and an exhilarating Foot Locker Three-Point Contest won by the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson, who narrowly beat teammate and 2014-15 Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry.  NBA All-Star 2017 will take place in Charlotte, N.C.

Staples Center last played host to NBA All-Star in 2011, when dazzling performances by hometown favorites Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Blake Griffin of the Clippers highlighted the weekend.

Bryant was named Kia NBA All-Star MVP for a record-tying fourth time after scoring 37 points as the West overcame LeBron James’ triple-double to defeat the East 148-143.  Griffin played in the game as a rookie, an appearance that followed his memorable victory in the Slam Dunk contest, and his role in helping the Rookies beat the Sophomores 148-140 in the Rising Stars Challenge.

NBA All-Star’s return to Los Angeles in 2018 will mark the 55-year anniversary of the first midseason classic in the city.  In 1963, Bill Russell finished with 19 points and 24 rebounds to lead the East past the West 115-108 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.  Russell took home the MVP award, an honor also bestowed on the Lakers’ Jerry West (1972), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Julius Erving (1983), and the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal (2004) in subsequent All-Star Games in Los Angeles.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services