Down the toilet
NBA moves All-Star Game from N.C. due to bathroom bill; N.Y. could step in
Charlotte’s loss might be New York’s gain. Specifically, Brooklyn’s gain.
The NBA cancelled plans to hold its 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C., over a state law decried as discriminatory against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the league announced Thursday.
At the same time, the NBA noted it hopes to hold the event in Charlotte in 2019. Though the NBA did not immediately name a site for the 2017 game, The Vertical reported New Orleans as the front-runner, but other reports suggested several contending spots, including Brooklyn.
A North Carolina House Bill 2 law passed in March, dubbed the “bathroom bill,” made North Carolina the first U.S. state to require transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings and schools that match the sex on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity.
“The NBA has decided to relocate the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte with the hope of rescheduling for 2019,” Thursday’s league statement read. “Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change.
“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.
“We look forward to re-starting plans for our All-Star festivities in Charlotte for 2019 provided there is an appropriate resolution to this matter.”
So how could New York benefit? Well, in 2013, The Post first reported the 2015 All-Star weekend would be served up as a combo Manhattan-Brooklyn event, which it was. Madison Square Garden was the venue for the All-Star Game and Barclays Center handled peripheral events, such as the slam dunk contest and 3-point shootout. At the time, The Post also reported the possibility of the venues for the Knicks and Nets switching roles in 2017. However, with such short notice, that possibility is deemed a long shot, at best.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, however, welcomes the opportunity for New York to host the festivities again.
“NBA. If you want an inclusive city, respectful of all gender identities, to host All-Star game: NYC welcomes you back,” he wrote on Twitter.
Members of the Nets hierarchy, though, were not certain they wanted to tackle the magnitude of hosting the event. The league likely would favor a local setting — the costs for matters such as staff transportation and hotels would be minimal. But nothing is certain — beyond Charlotte losing the Feb. 17-19 event.
“The NBA will make an announcement on the new location of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in the coming weeks,” the league statement said.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver previously had said the N.C. law is “inconsistent with the core values” of the NBA, and All-Star weekend could be relocated.
The Charlotte Observer estimated the All-Star festivities would have been worth $100 million to Charlotte’s economy.
Moving the event out of the state follows similar moves by entertainers who have cancelled shows — including Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Boston, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr and Cirque du Soleil. —