NBA All-Star Future Locations & Predictions for 2027 & Beyond

The 2026 NBA All-Star game is nearly here. Friday, February 13th will kick off All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, with events being held at the home of the Clippers, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. It promises to be a star-studded weekend that features a few of basketball fans' favorite events— most notably the slam dunk contest, which is held annually on Saturday night of All-Star weekend.

As the festivities draw near, it feels like a good time to look forward at future All-Star events. Hosting an All-Star game is a boon for an NBA team and the city it resides in. It's a cool honor that brings a lot of attention to the area and doesn't come with quite the same level of cost accommodation a larger event like the Super Bowl does. Above all there’s a certain sheen that comes with living in a city where an All-Star game is being hosted. It’s pretty cool.

Here’s a look at future locations of the NBA All-Star game, as well as predictions for host cities way down the line.

NBA All-Star game future locations

Entering the 2026 NBA All-Star game in L.A., the league has only announced the location of next year’s All-Star game. Where the ASG will be in 2028 and beyond has not yet been revealed.

YEAR	ARENA	CITY	HOME TEAM
2027	Footprint Center	Phoenix	Phoenix Suns

NBA All-Star Game 2026

The 2026 NBA All-Star game will return to Los Angeles— but in a different venue for the first time ever. The Clippers debuted their own arena, Inglewood’s Intuit Dome, last season and the NBA rewarded this big step for the franchise with a successful ASG bid. It'll be the first L.A.-based All-Star game that doesn't take place at the home of the Lakers.

NBA All-Star Game 2027

The 2027 NBA All-Star game will be held in Phoenix at the home of the Suns, the Footprint Center. It's the fourth All-Star game the city has hosted; it was last held in Arizona back in 2009. Phoenix is undoubtedly used to an All-Star crowd at this point given State Farm Stadium, located just outside of the city in Glendale, has hosted three Super Bowls in the last 16 years. It will be the first ASG hosted by Suns owner Mat Isbhia, who purchased the team in 2023.

Predicting future NBA All-Star game locations

The NBA usually announces the host city of the All-Star game three years in advance. The 2027 ASG in Phoenix, for example, was announced in March of 2024. Based on that timeline it is a bit unusual commissoner Adam Silver hasn’t unveiled the location of the 2028 All-Star game, but that reveal will presumably come sooner rather than later.

Where could the 2028 event be held? What about beyond?

Boston

The Celtics have returned to championship form after winning the 2024 NBA Finals, and in general the C’s have been one of the top teams in the NBA for nearly a decade now. Despite that, and despite the historical significance of the franchise over the lifespan of the NBA, Boston hasn’t played host to an NBA All-Star game since the 1960s. This is likely because Boston, for all its traits, is not particularly optimized to host large groups like the All-Star game would demand. But as long as the Celtics remain championship contenders TD Garden will be a candidate for All-Star activities.

Detroit

After a few years in the dumpster the Pistons are good again, owning the East’s top seed entering the 2025–26 All-Star break. The front office is trying to capitalize with an All-Star bid. Pistons vice chairman Arm Tellem revealed last summer the organization was trying to land a 2029 or ‘30 All-Star game. Why those years in particular? They will mark the 40th anniversary of the Bad Boys Pistons’ NBA titles in ‘89 and ‘90. The city was lauded for its hosting of the 2024 NFL draft so keep an eye on Detroit as a top contender for basketball’s star showcase in the coming years.

San Antonio

San Antonio last hosted an All-Star game back in 1996, when the Spurs had a superstar big man by the name of David Robinson. Well, the Spurs have yet another superstar big man. He goes by the name of Victor Wembanyama. And in a few years he will likely be one of the best players in the entire league, should he continue on his current trajectory; this season he’s already made a strong case to be considered among the cream of the crop. It would make sense to capitalize on Wemby’s national and international stardom with a home All-Star game.

Miami

Despite the fact that Miami is tied for most Super Bowls hosted, the city has only ever played host to one NBA All-Star game. That seems quite possible to change in the coming years. The Heat are in a period of transition so it's hard to say what kind of team or players they'll have in a few years, but one should never discount Miami when it comes to hosting these sorts of events.

Requirements for hosting an NBA All-Star game

Techincally speaking any NBA city can be considered to host the All-Star game. But a few years ago a league spokesperson revealed there are particular logistical requirements that the league prefers a city to meet to be considered for All-Star hosting duties.

Per an article from The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto, the NBA’s “most significant” requirements for any potential All-Star host city are led by the following criteria:

7,250 hotel rooms and a minimum of three five-star hotels
Convention center of 650,000 square feet of exhibition space
75 nonstop domestic flights and at least 20 international flights

It isn’t a hard-and-fast list, however. In a statement to the Milwaukee Business Journal two years ago the league acknowledged the list reflects three of the many “resources necessary” to ensure a successful All-Star weekend.

“Event venues, hotel availability and access to a major international airport are just three among many other resources necessary to ensure the event’s success,” the 2024 statement read. “As NBA All-Star grows, so does the infrastructure needed to support the event footprint and the influx of fans into the host market. The NBA consistently works with all interested team markets on meeting that criteria.”

In other words, it is difficult for smaller markets to host the All-Star game due to the sheer quantity of accomodations required to host an entire weekend. But not impossible, as we saw in Indianapolis only a few years ago.

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