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.
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.
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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