Indianapolis Ready for NBA All-Star Spotlight

Indianapolis’ turn on the international sports stage for the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend is, in one way, going to be bigger and better than originally planned thanks to the pandemic.

The city was scheduled to host the weekend’s festivities in 2021 before the game was postponed because of COVID-19. Because of the three-year delay, the Pacers will be able to showcase the $400 million in upgrades that have been made to Gainbridge Fieldhouse since the pandemic, the second-largest investment in arena upgrades in league history with every seat replaced and a massive outdoor plaza of fan activities.

The renovated home of the Pacers is one of the many activations planned for the coming days in downtown Indianapolis, which features several community initiatives, a glass-court floor for the first time in an NBA event and more than 170,000 ticketed opportunities starting Friday.

“It’s really almost like a brand new arena inside the old shell,” said Visit Indy President and Chief Executive Officer Leonard Hoops. “We would have been under construction in a couple of places (in 2021), which was not optimal, but then we had three more years to keep ideating about more stuff we could do. There are things that are happening in Indy this week that have never happened before that will probably become common down the road.”

Indianapolis last hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1985, famously known as the game that started the still-ongoing rivalry between Michael Jordan and Isaiah Thomas. This year’s festivities officially start with the Tip-Off Ceremony at Bicentennial Unity Plaza by Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, followed by the Rising Stars Challenge and All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night at Gainbridge and Lucas Oil Stadium, respectively.

The HBCU Classic Game will be at Gainbridge on Saturday afternoon followed by the All-Star Saturday Night Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. NBA Crossover will be open throughout the weekend at the Indianapolis Convention Center with the game on Sunday night at Gainbridge featuring a return to the East vs. West format from previous All-Star Games.

“There’s 170,000 ticketed opportunities between Friday, Saturday and Sunday and that doesn’t even count NBA Crossover,” Hoops said. “Anybody who’s been to an NBA All-Star weekend, I would say there are a lot of people who think the skills competition is the most fun — not including the game. And so that’s just so many more people who have access to that night.”

Basketball Court at the Airport

Visit Indy projects it will have visitors from 47 states and 29 countries — with all who arrive at Indianapolis International Airport greeted by a full-size NBA court emphasizing the state’s fandom on first impression. Once visitors leave the airport and head downtown, they’ll see more than 80 public art installations highlighting local and national artists.

Two dozen 6-foot basketball sculptures dispersed throughout the city will share stories about Indiana’s basketball history with basketball-like orbs at the corner of Maryland and Capitol Streets. Monument Circle, located in the epicenter of Indy, will showcase an interactive light show featuring a “buzzer beater” countdown. Nearly eight sidewalk galleries will take over the city as well.

The way Indianapolis has set up fan activations is intentional – it will be in the shape of roughly half a full-sized basketball court.

“Everywhere you turn, you’re going to see some type of innovation for an NBA All-Star weekend,” Hoops said.

Indiana has the well-earned reputation of a basketball state, which has only been enhanced by the Pacers’ season so far, including a run to the In-Season Tournament championship game and the emergence of Tyrese Haliburton as one of the league’s bright young stars — “the energy in Gainbridge is way different this season,” Hoops said, “(and) it definitely enhances how everybody’s feeling about this week.”

There’s just one more thing to watch — the weather, which Hoops has been checking multiple times per day.

“The good news is it’s supposed to be fully sunny all weekend,” he said. “The bad news is I think on Saturday, the high is 31 — but no snow is forecast right now. On TV, it’ll be bright and people will be out and about.”