NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver on Friday said that the Hornets will be eligible to host the '19 All-Star Game after North Carolina recently repealed HB2. The league moved the '17 All-Star game from Charlotte to New Orleans due to the controversial law. Silver, speaking at the conclusion of the league’s annual spring BOG meeting, said that the game returning to Charlotte is “not a done deal yet,” and the NBA also has to make sure that typical requirements such as hotels and venue availability are met. Silver did not put a specific timeline on putting the game back in Charlotte but said “things need to happen within the next month.” Silver said, “We can be a force for change. We are prepared to go back.”
Silver also said owners discussed the issue of teams resting marquee players, but did not put any specific new rules in place. “It is a complex issue,” he said, adding that there is a shared view that teams should avoid resting multiple players for national TV games and a strong preference for teams to rest players at home games. Silver said that adding a week to the NBA season next year can mostly eliminate teams playing four games in five nights, along with a further reduction of back-to-back games. Silver: “We will continue to discuss this matter.”
