The NBA announced yesterday that New Orleans has been selected to host the ’14 All-Star Game. This marks the second time the event will be held in the city, after New Orleans hosted in ’08. The game will be held February 16, 2014 (NBA). NBA Commissioner David Stern said that New Orleans “didn't need to find a new owner for its basketball team ... in order for the Crescent City to be awarded another NBA All-Star Game.” Stern said, "It was an easy 'give' by me because we had such a good experience in 2008. The city has gotten even better, if that's possible, at hosting large events. All you need to do is turn on your television sets to see that.” He added, "It was really just a question of timing. The biggest problem is where Mardi Gras drops compared to where our All-Star week drops.” In New Orleans, Jimmy Smith notes in a front-page piece that New Orleans Arena “will undergo a portion of a $50 million facelift” before the event is held in ‘14. The city already this year has hosted the Allstate Sugar Bowl, BCS National Championship Game, SEC men's basketball tournament and the men's Final Four. Super Bowl XLVII will be held in New Orleans in ’13 (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 4/17). The AP’s Brett Martel noted Mardi Gras “falls in mid-February in 2015 and 2016, so if the NBA had given the 2014 event to New York, as some predicted, it would not make sense to hold the game in New Orleans again until 2017.” Benson by that time “would be 89 years old” (AP, 4/16).
