The 2021 NBA All-Star game will be played after all as the league made the official announcement. There were reports in early February from Adrian Wojnarowski, from ESPN, that there was an agreement being reached between the NBA and the Players Association to have the event on March 7th in Atlanta.
Story filed to ESPN: The NBA and NBPA are progressing toward an agreement for an All-Star Game on March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, a single-night event that would encompass an Eastern vs. Western Conference game and skills competitions, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 2, 2021
The festivities will begin with the Taco Bell Skills Challenge and Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest as a prelude to the main event of the night with the league’s best players on the court. The AT&T Slam Dunk Contest will take place at halftime.
The format from last year’s All-Star Game will remain the same with the rosters being drafted by the captains from each conference and the teams playing to win the quarters individually and reaching the Final Target Score in the last quarter.
The Target Score will be determined with the leading team cumulative score and adding 24 points which honors the late Kobe Bryant for the second year.
In addition to the details of the event, the NBA and the Players Association announced the commitment of $2.5 Million in funds and resources towards Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Following comes from the NBPA Executive Director, Michele Roberts in the league’s press release:
“HBCUs provided premium education to our communities at a time when access to higher learning was denied us. They were there – and have remained there -for us. We now stand with them.”
