Michael Jordan is working hard to turn around both the franchise and the market in Charlotte. Getting back the Hornets name was one step, putting a competitive basketball team on the court that made the playoffs last season then went out and got Lance Stephenson this summer was the next. Now he’s going after the All-Star Game.
Charlotte is going to make a bid for one of the next two that are available, reports the Charlotte Observer:
The Charlotte Hornets plan to formally submit a bid Tuesday to host either the 2017 or 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend, a source close to the process said Monday…
While it’s been no secret the Hornets are interested in hosting the annual mid-February event at Time Warner Cable Arena, there are potential complications. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during a March visit to Charlotte that an All-Star bid would be contingent on the city agreeing to various upgrades to the arena.
“It’s part of the understanding here that the building remain state of the art,” Silver said in March. “Nothing dramatic is needed. But certainly an upgrade to the scoreboard, some things with the suites and the lighting.”
The 2015 All-Star Game is in New York/Brooklyn, followed by Toronto in 2016.
