NBA All-Star Game Is Headed to Miami for First Time in Eons

The NBA All-Star Game is headed to the desert this season as Devin Booker and the Suns will play host at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. In 2028, the NBA is prepared to head to South Beach for All-Star weekend in a move that will certainly make players happy.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that the NBA is finalizing Miami as the host of next season’s All-Star festivities, which would be the first time the Heat host since 1990. Miami Arena, which was demolished in 2008, held the contest and a guy named Magic Johnson won the All-Star Game MVP. A few weeks later, Janet Jackson began her debut concert tour in the same building.

So, yeah, it’s been a long time!

Miami’s long All-Star Game drought was primarily due to the Miami International Boat Show, which falls on the same weekend, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. The boat show takes up a large chunk of event space and hotel rooms, plus lodging can be sparse and expensive in February as snowbirds head south to escape the cold.

With the NBA finally taking its All-Star talents to South Beach, that got us thinking. Which cities should come next? Here’s a handful of NBA cities that either haven’t hosted All-Star weekend at all or not in a long, long time. And each town deserves one.

Boston (last NBA All-Star Game: 1964)

If you think it’s crazy that Magic Johnson was the All-Star Game MVP the last time the festivities were in Miami, Oscar Robertson won the honor the last time the game was in Boston. Robertson was in the fourth season of his illustrious career at the time and playing for the Cincinnati Royals, who later became the Sacramento Kings.

The new Boston Garden—the TD Garden—has yet to host an NBA All-Star Game. The original Boston Garden hosted four, including the first two renditions. Then-Celtics owner Walter A. Brown worked with league officials to create an exhibition game between the NBA’s biggest stars in an era where the sport was rocked by the point-shaving scandal in college basketball. In 2022, commissioner Adam Silver said that he encourages a bid from Boston and “people would love to have it there.” It seems that Boston hasn’t submitted bids over the years, but we should expect All-Star weekend to return to New England sooner rather than later.

Oklahoma City (last NBA All-Star Game: Never)

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won back-to-back MVP awards | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Thunder entered the league in 2008 after the franchise moved from Seattle. It’s not outlandish that we haven’t seen an All-Star Game in Oklahoma City yet. With how successful the team has been, though, that should change.

Two years ago, The Oklahoman reported that OKC fell short in league requirements for a city to host an All-Star Game. Sports Business Journal later reported that other parameters not mentioned in The Oklahoman report can help small-market cities earn bids for the game. Maybe OKC isn’t the most glamorous destination, but the Thunder would have no shortage of All-Stars for their home fans to cheer for.

Detroit (last NBA All-Star Game: 1979)

The Pontiac Silverdome held the All-Star Game the last time it came to Michigan. The Pistons hosted one other All-Star Game, back in 1959, where Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit were the first All-Star Game co-MVPs. Since the team last hosted an All-Star weekend, the Pistons came and went from the Palace of Auburn Hills—their home for nearly three decades.

A move back to downtown Detroit and the new Little Caesars Arena came in 2017, which would be a worthy host for All-Star festivities. Players probably wouldn’t love a trip to the bitter cold in February, though.

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Portland (last NBA All-Star Game: Never)

Damian Lillard won the three-point contest last season | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Trail Blazers have been in the NBA since 1970 and Portland has never hosted an All-Star Game. When the SuperSonics were in the league, Seattle got two All-Star weekends. So the league has went to the Pacific Northwest, just not the home of the Blazers. Portland has submitted bids in the past but the efforts were shut down by the league. Former Blazers president Chris McGowan was optimistic that hotel developments in the city would better position Portland to host the event at some point.

New owner Tom Dundon’s cost-cutting measures and shaky negotiations over funding for Moda Center renovations may make a Portland All-Star Game a pipe dream in the near future. The Blazers and their fans certainly deserve one, though. Do it for Dame, at least.

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