According to Kareem Copeland of the Associated Press, the Utah Jazz will be formally submitting their bid to host the NBA All-Star Game in either 2022 or 2023.
Jazz President Steve Starks shares why Utah would be a great option to host an upcoming NBA All-Star Game:
“We feel like we’re in a great position to be able to be awarded that All-Star Game. There’s a story to tell about Salt Lake and the Jazz and what we have to offer that we think will be unique. Compared to 30 years ago, our infrastructure is completely different. We knew with the renovation of the arena that would be a catalyst to get back in that conversation again. … We just felt now would be the best time to tell our story.”
The executive vice president of the Jazz ownership group, Don Stirling, accompanied by VP of community and special events Kari Holt Larson, and Clay Partain of Visit Salt Lake have been working with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, trying to make the hope of hosting a future All-Star Game become a reality for a city that hasn’t done so since 1993.
Stirling showed confidence that an All-Star Game in Utah would be very accessible and convenient for fans:
“One of the things that ranks very high in the judging is proximity and convenience. When you land in Salt Lake, you’re downtown in 8-10 minutes. The hotels surround the venues that we’ll be using. When all is said and done, you have this great big world-wide event and proximity and convenience is really important. And we have that.”
The next few NBA All-Star Game locations have already been set in stone, with it being recently announced that Charlotte would host in 2019, followed by Chicago in 2020 and Indianapolis in 2021.
