Sixers Reportedly Pushing to Host 2026 NBA All-Star Game

The Sixers want the NBA to schedule All-Star weekend in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, once again, according to a report from CNBC's Jabari Young. Per Young's report, the Sixers and Comcast Spectator, the Wells Fargo Center owners, are working together on the possibility of hosting the big game in 2026.
Just last season, the Chicago Bulls had the opportunity to host the big weekend for the NBA just a month before the season went on a hiatus. It's unclear if this year's All-Star game will even go down or not due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but if it does, All-Star weekend is slated to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, and hosted by the Pacers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the 2022 All-Star game, while the Utah Jazz will host the 2023 All-Star game. Somewhere along down the line, the Sixers would like the opportunity to get involved for the first time since 2002.
If there's an opening in 2024 or 2025, then why do the Sixers want to wait that long then? Well, according to Kyle Neubeck of The PhillyVoice, the Sixers would like to wait until the 250th anniversary of the United States of America to host the event.
If the Sixers aren't granted permission to host All-Star weekend in 2026, we can assume they will push for a later season somewhere around 2031 then, too, as the team's Managing Group continues to look for new arena opportunities.
The Sixers recently pushed for a grant to build a new arena in Philadelphia's Penn's Landing section. Unfortunately, Harris-Blitzer Sports & Entertainment didn't win the bid. Although they won't construct an arena in Penn's Landing and will remain at the Wells Fargo Center for a while, the Sixers are reportedly still on the hunt for a new location for the future.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
Follow @JGrasso_