Eastern Conference rivals vying to host future all-star games

The Bucks are hoping to bring All-Star Weekend to Fiserv Forum in either 2027 or 2028, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

If the request is approved, it will be Milwaukee’s first All-Star Game in half a century. The city played host to the 1977 contest, which saw Julius Erving capture MVP honors even though his East team lost to the West, 125-124, at the old MECCA Arena.

West Coast cities will host the festivities over the next two years. The 2025 game will take place at Chase Center in San Francisco, marking the first time it will be played in that city even though the Warriors have hosted it twice before. A year later, All-Star Weekend will move to the Inuit Dome, which will become the Clippers’ new home next season.

Bucks officials have been trying to win approval for an All-Star game in Milwaukee for several years, Owczarski adds. They submitted bids for the 2022 and 2023 contests, but those were awarded to Cleveland and Salt Lake City. This year’s festivities in Indianapolis mark a trade-off for 2021, when COVID forced the game to be moved from Indiana to a “bubble” setting in Atlanta.

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports that the Celtics are making progress in their effort to host the game in 2029. Team president Rich Gotham told Washburn that the franchise is working in collaboration with city and state officials to set up Boston’s first All-Star Game since 1964.

“We’ve had those conversations with both the NBA and the city of Boston and a lot of different constituencies, including TD Garden and Meet Boston,” Gotham said. “We’ve had some preliminary conversations and there’s enthusiasm from all the parties to bring the game to Boston. We’re working at it.”

According to Washburn, the NBA is leaning toward Phoenix for 2027 and there’s a scheduling conflict at TD Garden in 2028, which is why the team is targeting the following year. The Celtics began exploring an All-Star bid before the pandemic, Washburn adds.

Gotham explains  that the process is extremely competitive and involves more than just an available arena. The NBA requires host cities to have plenty of hotel space, a convention center for league events and a secondary arena to hold practices and the celebrity game.

“It’s not a given (to host the game) but we’ve been given really good, positive feedback from the NBA that Boston is a city they feel like can handle an All-Star Game,” Gotham said. “From the Celtics perspective, we’d really love to host it. We think it would be a great thing for the city of Boston."