UNSCRIPTED: 2024 NBA All*Star Game Is… Coming Back To Indiana
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
FWIS Contributing Writer
Our capital city of Indianapolis will host the NBA’s 73rd annual All-Star Game the weekend of February 16-18, 2024, with events scheduled at Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Indiana Convention Center. While this is not unusual for our state to be hosting this extravaganza, (the last being 1985 as the 2021 event was cancelled due to COVID) there’s always something unique that occurs when we get the opportunity to host a major sporting event. From the Super Bowl to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and the Pan American Games, Indianapolis is no stranger to having to put our “best foot forward” in hosting something of this magnitude. In today’s UNSCRIPTED, I’ll look at some of the interesting venues that our state has to offer for visiting fans, media, and players and the extra efforts that have been put into place to ensure those who are fortunate to attend have lasting memories to share for years to come!
The NBA ALL STAR GAME is the Associations largest star-studded event, and one that many cities would enjoy having the opportunity to host. The financial gain alone makes it worth lobbying for your city to host as the revenue generated for the entire weekend is estimated as close to a 100-million-dollars for that city! The All-Star game is no longer a single game played by the NBA’s brightest stars, as the league has gone to devoting an ENTIRE WEEKEND to promoting its current and future stars along with having a Celebrity game, Slam Dunk competition, 3 Point Shooting Competition, Rookie/Sophomore game and Skills competition events! It’s exciting to see our state featured on a national stage, and highlight the varies venues that downtown Indianapolis, Indiana has to offer!
Downtown Indianapolis will be transformed into a larger arts and entertainment venue, including improv artists and dancers, murals, and for the first time, the annual Black fine art fair (by cultural development firm Ganggang) is arriving early (outside its usual home of Labor Day weekend) for All-Star Game fans. On display will be sculptures, photography and more by more than 30 artists that capture the meaning of sports and culture. What I really enjoyed reading about during my research of this event, is that the Indianapolis International Airport has designed and placed a Full-sized basketball court within the walls of its facility to give fans a feel of how we really enjoy our hoops in this state! I can see it now… Folks will be missing flights because they’ll be yelling “We got next!” on the court! (lol)
How can you discuss Indiana and downtown Indianapolis, without at least mentioning the tremendous restaurants located close to Gainbridge Fieldhouse where the event will be held? From Prime 47, St Elmo’s, Nada, to Pearl Street Pizzeria (and many more bars and pubs) there will be MORE THAN ENOUGH places to get your grub on while you’re watching hoops! Wait, I just got off track from the game so let me get back to what this story is supposed to be about… the GAME! This year’s game will be going back to the old format of EAST VS. WEST (which I like) instead of the format of allowing 2 captains to choose the players, and Eastern and Western conference players crossing over to their opposite divisions. The league is trying to give the players more incentive to play harder and create a more natural rivalry by doing it this way. Along with creating more competitions/games during the weekend to give more players the opportunity to be showcased and to keep the costs down for those that cannot purchase the $400.00 (that’s right) that it costs to get into the game. Did I mention incentives? How about each player from the winning team receiving 50,000 dollars and Runners-Up receiving 25,000? How about the winner of the Slam Dunk competition receiving 100,000 dollars? (That’s enough to make me want to find my old Chuck Taylors and lace them up! Hà ha ha!!) The NBA is really doing an outstanding job promoting this event with all 3 days being packed with events and interactive experiences for fans to be a part of. There are 5 main services that fans will want to be mindful of if you cannot attend the events live, don’t worry! The league has NBA TV, NBA App, TNT, ESPN & ESPN2 all set to give you coverage from the comfort of your living room! If you cannot make it to Indy for the events, then follow the schedule below for your viewing pleasure.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 16TH
12:00 PM - NBA Rising Stars Practice (NBA TV)
5:30 PM - Basketball Hall of Fame New Conference (NBA TV)
7:00 PM - NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
9:00 PM - NBA Rising Stars Game
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17TH
11:00 AM - NBA All-Star Practice (NBA TV)
2:00 PM - HBCU Classic Virginia Union vs. Winston Salem State (ESPN 2)
8:00 PM - NBA All-Star Saturday Night (TNT)
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 18TH
1:30 PM - G-League “Up Next” Game (NBA TV)
8:30 PM - NBA ALL-STAR GAME (TNT)
Enjoy the weekend folks! It should be a lot of fun to take in and if you’re in town and see a celebrity or 2 approach them cautiously when asking for a picture or autograph and be polite because they too are fans of these talented players and want to have the same unique experiences just like you so lets play ball!