It’s one of the most entertaining weekends of the NBA season. An otherwise meaningless exhibition game pitting the game’s best stars against one another during a three-day span that includes the dunk contest and three-point contest.
Unfortunately, we might not be able to witness this in February with the NBA still planning on how to forge ahead with the 2020-21 season.
NBA All-Star Game unlikely to be played in February
“We have been working with the NBA since 2017 to bring our fans and our city this world-class event, just as we did when we last hosted in 1985,” Indiana Pacers president Rick Fuson said, via the Indy Star. “While it appears All Star 2021 is unlikely to happen on Presidents’ Day weekend, we are excited about continuing to collaborate with the NBA as we look to the future.”
It’s not yet known whether the All-Star Game will be pushed back from Presidents’ Day Weekend to later on the NBA calendar. Although, the Association’s plans regarding the coming 2020-21 season will play a role here.
When will the 2020-21 NBA season start?
There’s two different possibilities that the NBA is looking into right now. Each one has its positives and negatives.
- Start in December with four cities hosting bubbles. A recent report indicates that the NBA is looking into playing in a bubble like we’re seeing at Walt Disney world right now. Las Vegas, Orlando, Dallas and New York City are the four cities the Association are looking into.
- Postpone start of the season until January, at the earliest. If the NBA does believe that teams can welcome fans to games next season, it will push back the start of the season. This could be as early as mid-January or as late as March. It will be dependent on the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine being available to the masses.
The NBA has already indicated it will lose a whole heck of a lot of revenue due to the season being suspended and the lack of fans in attendance. A more recent project concludes that the ticket revenue losses could add up to $1 billion for the ongoing playoffs alone.
As for the All-Star Game, it’s all about bringing the game’s biggest stars together for a fun weekend of action. Clearly, the league would love nothing better than to host the three-day weekend at some point in the 2020-21 season. It just won’t be in February.