Bring stars to town
City seeks NBA game
City and state officials are driving hard for the NBA to move the 2017 All-Star game to Boston after the game was pulled from Charlotte, N.C., but a booked TD Garden apparently will block any plans.
The NBA yanked the game due to a North Carolina law restricting transgender bathroom use, and the league has not yet proposed a new site.
Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo said he’s reached out to the Celtics about asking the NBA to bring the game to the Hub. Mayor Martin J. Walsh enthusiastically backed the idea, saying that the state’s recent passage of a bill that bans discrimination against transgender people, including in bathrooms, makes it a strong counterpoint to Charlotte.
“I’d love for it to come to Boston. It would be a great story,” Walsh told the Herald. “If you want to send a message, that’ll be a strong message to send right here in Boston.”
DeLeo said he approached the Celtics about making a formal written request to the NBA for the game, but the Garden is booked for the weekend of Feb. 19, when the game is scheduled to be held, according to TD Banknorth Garden officials.
“We have not been approached by the NBA to host the 2017 All-Star game, however, we would be unable to host due to scheduling commitments that week,” wrote TD Banknorth Garden spokeswoman Courtney Mercier in a statement.
“Even though hosting the 2017 All-Star game is not a viable option because of building commitments, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss hosting future All-Star games with the city, the state and the NBA,” a Celtics spokesman said.
DeLeo, who tweeted on Thursday that Massachusetts should host the game, said the state has a long history of supporting liberty and equality in addition to the recent antidiscrimination law.
“Massachusetts, when you take a look at individual liberties, is often looked at as the cradle of liberty, not only in recent votes we have taken but in the history of Massachusetts,” DeLeo said.
“So I think if that’s one of the concerns the NBA has, I think that Massachusetts and Boston in particular fit that bill very well.”
DeLeo pushed hosting the game as a boost to Boston’s economy during a slow time of year. And he said Massachusetts also offers the history of the Celtics and the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield as reasons to hold the AllStar game in the Commonwealth.