Indy Group Studies Potential All-Star Bid

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA contingent of officials from Indianapolis has returned from the NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. The group, which included representatives from Visit Indy, the Indiana Sports Corp. and Pacers Sports & Entertainment, were gathering information for a potential bid to host the event in 2021.
The Pacers organization says 2021 would be the best fit for the city due to future convention commitments. Indiana Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn tells Inside INdiana Business more work will be done ahead of submitting a bid.
"Having now attended two NBA All Star game weekends, I continue to be impressed not only with the large scale economic impact of the event but also with the NBA’s commitment to using the weekend to address relevant community topics in a positive and thoughtful way," said Vaughn. "I am confident Indy would be a great host and the NBA a great partner for our community. We look forward to working with the Pacers as they continue to investigate the opportunity."
Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Rick Fuson says the All-Star Weekend could have an economic impact of $100 million for the host city. In an interview last month on Inside INdiana Business Television, Visit Indy CEO Leonard Hoops, who was also part of the Indy contingent in New Orleans, said Indy getting the nod to host the All-Star game could be a catalyst for a new downtown hotel.
The NBA is accepting bids for the 2020 and 2021 All-Star games with the deadline for bids coming this spring, according to the Pacers.