All-Star weekend in the NBA is always an entertaining event. While the competitiveness of the game itself can come and go, and the dunk contest is hit-or-miss, there is still a lot to look forward to when a city is chosen to play host.
Los Angeles Lakers fans will get to experience this first-hand when the All-Star Game comes to L.A. in February. It’s the first time the city has played host since 2004, but it includes reform as rosters will be selected by captains.
Future NBA All-Star Games are already in place, as Charlotte will host in 2019, followed by Chicago in 2020. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Indian Pacers have joined the group as they will host All-Star weekend in 2021:
The Indiana Pacers will host the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 13, 2017
For the Pacers and their resilient fan base, this is a nice nod to how steady the team has been over the years. They went through the painful process of trading away superstar forward Paul George last summer, and were criticized by just about everyone for getting the seemingly light return of Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo back from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Today, however, the narrative that the Pacers got fleeced is swiftly changing. Sabonis has proven himself to be a very serviceable big man and a decent fit next to Myles Turner, while Oladipo has absolutely blown up. He has been on a tear since the start of the season, exceeding any and all expectations that had been placed upon him.
This improvement from Oladipo has served to give Indiana the shot in the arm that they needed, and could very well result in him being named to this season’s All-Star team. Should he manage to keep this up, and Turner continues to blossom, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Pacers to be represented by multiple All-Stars when they get to play host in 2021.
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