The NBA All-Star Game is out of North Carolina
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) and his Republican legislature have done nothing to remedy the tremendous damage they inflicted on themselves and their state with their anti-LGBT "bathroom" law, so the National Basketball Association is responding. League sources tell the Vertical that next season's All-Star Game is being yanked from Charlotte.
The NBA is focused on the New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center as the host for All-Star Weekend and the All-Star Game on Feb. 19, league sources told The Vertical.For now, there are still other cities trying to lure the All-Star Game, sources said.
A formal announcement on the NBA’s withdrawal out of Charlotte is expected as soon as this week, league sources said Thursday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver had threatened to move All-Star Weekend out of Charlotte unless a discriminatory North Carolina law aimed at the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community was changed—and time to do so has run out because of the logistics and planning the NBA needs to run its marquee midseason event, league sources said.
Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Hornets, had lobbied hard for the All-Star Game to highlight his franchise. He and team president Fred Whitfield also tried to lobby their legislature to change the law and divert what's going to be another economic disaster for the state.
Wow. The city of Charlotte estimates that this is going to cost the city $100 million. That includes: “an estimate of 27,000 nights of hotel rooms being booked, and tourists spending expected to reach $60 million over the course of All-Star weekend,” and “$40 million [...] spent by those employed at the hotels, restaurants and arena.” Heckuva job, McCrory.