The NBA announced Friday (Aug. 19) that the 2017 All-Star Game will be held in New Orleans.
NOLA replaces Charlotte, NC, which was set to host the game until the NBA decided last month to pull out of the city, because a state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.
"New Orleans is a world-class destination for sports and entertainment and we are very appreciative that the city is once again hosting our All-Star festivities," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "We are grateful to Tom and Gayle Benson and the Pelicans organization and to Governor John Bel Edwards, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation for inviting us back for what promises to be another exciting and memorable celebration of the game."
New Orleans is hosting All-Star activities for the third time.
It also offers good news for the city, on the heels of disastrous flooding across large swaths of southeast Louisiana that has killed at least 13 people and damaged an estimated 40,000 homes, mostly around Baton Rouge. Much of the New Orleans metropolitan area, including downtown where All-Star events would be centered, has been spared from the recent flooding.
All-Star Weekend last came to the Big Easy in 2014, when New Orleans Pelicans forward and center Anthony Davis made his All-Star debut.
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