The NBA All-Star Game will return to Cleveland in 2022, 25 years since the last time basketball’s mid-winter showcase has gone to northeast Ohio. The league made the decision official on Thursday after it was reported earlier in the week.
Quicken Loans Arena is undergoing renovations that will be completed by 2022, and new or fully-renovated arenas are often rewarded with events like All-Star Weekend. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver both acknowledged as much in statements during a press conference at the arena on Thursday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces that Cleveland will host the NBA All-Star game in 2022! pic.twitter.com/EhXnttMkcv
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 1, 2018
“We are proud to host NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland in 2022,” Gilbert said. “We have been working with the NBA, the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to deliver this iconic event to Northeast Ohio for the last couple of years. The transformation and new state-of-the-art Quicken Loans Arena was an important factor in the NBA’s decision to choose Cleveland for this exciting classic broadcast across the globe. The world will get to see the modern Cleveland and all of its diversity, innovation and promise for the future.”
“Cleveland is a passionate sports city with a proven track record of hosting large-scale, global events,” Silver said. “We thank Dan Gilbert, Len Komoroski and the civic leaders for their commitment, and we look forward to a weeklong celebration of our game.”
The All-Star festivities in Cleveland will run from Feb. 18-20, 2022.
