ORLANDO -- Commissioner David Stern made the announcement Sunday that Los Angeles would be hosting the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2011. What he left unsaid was that Orlando will have it in February of 2012.You can start making reservations. It's only a coincidence that the Lakers are playing the Magic in the NBA Finals this year.
Although no one was talking on the record about it Monday, two sources with knowledge of the talks said that the league has assured Orlando that it would be following Los Angeles in the All-Star Weekend rotation of warm-weather cities. The only thing that could stop it would be a major construction delay of the new downtown Events Center.
The Magic are expected to be playing in the Events Center – just a few blocks from the current Amway Arena – at the start of the 2010-11 season. Stern hinted at the site of the 2012 Weekend, but he left out the specifics.
"I think Orlando is very much a candidate for an All-Star post in the very near future,'' he said. "But we never play in a half-finished building.''
The All-Star Weekend will be on the 20th anniversary of the last time Orlando hosted the event, which has grown considerably since. It was in Orlando when Magic Johnson was voted into the starting lineup and played a starring role, even though he had announced his retirement as an active player.
Orlando's new arena is expected to have 20,000 seats and encompass 750,000 square feet, doubling the size of the Magic's current facility to include all the amenities found in today's palatial sites.
Although the city of Boston had expressed interest in the 2012 weekend, the league has turned its focus to warm weather cities in the future. In addition to a new arena, Orlando the almost limitless hotel space to host a major event like All-Star Weekend.
The Weekend is expected to have a $100 million economic impact on Orlando. Although the All-Star Game is the major attraction, it also includes a Rookie Challenge, Youth Jam and an All-Star Saturday night. The All-Star Jam Session, an interactive fan experience, is usually staged in close proximity of the basketball facility.
Latest NBA Finals Photos
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates beating the Orlando Magic in overtime in Game 2 of their NBA Finals in Los Angeles June 7, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)
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Orlando guard Courtney Lee (11) shoots over Los Angeles center Pau Gasol (16) with .5 seconds left in regulation of Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Lee missed the shot, and the Lakers went on to defeat the Magic in overtime, 101-96, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, June 7, 2009. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
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Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis (9) laments in the fourth quarter after the Magic miss a shot with .06 left, as the Los Angeles Lakers' Derek Fisher looks on. The Lakers defeated the Magic, 101-96, in overtime of Game 2 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, June 7, 2009. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 7: Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan and father Danny Kwan attend Game Two of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Michelle Kwan;Danny Kwan
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 7: Producer Sean 'P.Diddy' Combs attends Game Two of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean Combs
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LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Jameer Nelson #14 of the Orlando Magic shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jameer Nelson
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LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Luke Walton #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends against Rashard Lewis #9 of the Orlando Magic during Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashard Lewis;Luke Walton
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LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic #12 shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwight Howard
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LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Kobe Bryant #24 and Lamar Odom #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers hug against the Orlando Magic during Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lamar Odom;Kobe Bryant
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LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Lamar Odom #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks during the post game press conference after Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Jon Soohoo/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lamar Odom
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Commisioners should be elected officials with time limits. How long has this guy been running the NBA?
NBA presentation is good. Keep rocking.The Blue Pill