The NBA will make All-Star media day "open to the public for the first time" on Feb. 17 at the L.A. Convention Center, including "autograph and photo opportunities with former players and yet-to-be-announced celebrities," according to Dan Loumena of the L.A. TIMES. Tickets for the event are "on sale at NBATickets.com for $10." The league announced that all proceeds from ticket sales "will go toward nonprofit journalism organizations that will be selected by the NBA and a panel of media members" from the Association for Women in Sports Media, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Professional Basketball Writers Association. NBA TV's Ro Parrish will "host a live show from the All-Star media day event, which will also feature an opportunity for fans to meet team mascots and dance-team members." The L.A. Convention Center is also "hosting a fan zone called NBA Crossover on Friday through Sunday" (L.A. TIMES, 2/8).
TIME TO BALL: The NBA announced that Bucks co-Owner Marc Lasry is "among 24 players who have committed to showing off their hops in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game" on Feb. 16 at Staples Center. Lasry will be "playing on Team Lakers, coached by ESPN's Rachel Nichols." Basketball HOFer Tracy McGrady and actor Michael B. Jordan will "be on her bench as assistants" (ESPN.com, 2/7). Meanwhile, THE UNDEFEATED's Kelley Evans noted as part of the NBA’s "revamped All-Star format," the '18 All-Star teams "will play for charity." Yesterday, captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry "revealed their charities in videos shared on social media." Team LeBron selected After School All-Stars of L.A., while Team Stephen chose Brotherhood Crusade. The winning team will "donate $350,000 and the losing team will donate $150,000 to their selected organizations" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 2/7).
HEAD START : In Charlotte, Erik Spanberg notes the countdown for the city's ASG in '19 "begins in earnest next week." A delegation of 30 people, "half from the Hornets and half from various city and tourism departments," heads to L.A. this week. They will meet with their counterparts in L.A. to "learn more about how organizers manage security for the world’s most famous basketball players, how to (try to) keep traffic moving between a downtown arena and dozens of official and unofficial spin-off events and parties, how to coordinate 6,000 or so hotel room assignments." The Hornets were originally selected to host the '17 ASG before the NBA moved the game to New Orleans because of North Carolina's HB2 law, and Chief Sales Officer Pete Guelli said, "We’re better-positioned than we were. Our (arena) renovations are complete, there are more hotels online, the city is in a better place." About 1,500 hotel rooms "will have opened" in uptown Charlotte since February '17. Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield and Guelli said that the delay also "allowed for an additional arena tune-up: a makeover of the building’s 200-person capacity FrontCourt Club, a private dining restaurant that looks out on to the playing floor" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/8).
