Los Angeles it is for the 2018 NBA All-Star game. And what a warm, welcome sight that will be.
After six consecutive stops in central or Eastern locations, the league’s annual extravaganza – one that has been held amid frigid temperatures in New York and Toronto the past two seasons – will return to the place where it was in 2011.
The formal announcement will come on Tuesday, with the NBA, Staples Center, AEG, and city officials sharing the task. USA TODAY Sports reported on Feb. 17 that the parties were nearing a deal and that Los Angeles was the likely location.
Indianapolis and Miami were also known to be on the league’s short list of possible cities for 2018. Sacramento officials had hoped to land the 2018 event as a reward for the October opening of the Kings’ Golden 1 Center in the downtown area, but have since shifted their focus to a 2019 bid.
The All-Star game, which has been in Orlando, Houston, New Orleans, New York City, and Toronto these past five seasons, will be in Charlotte, N.C. in 2017.
