Indianapolis transformed into a basketball paradise for NBA All-Star Weekend, and the Indiana Pacers said a large crowd experienced Hoosier mania.
Pacers Sports and Entertainment estimates that over 190,000 spectators attended NBA All-Star Weekend events, the biggest attendance in fourteen years.
“People who came downtown spent up to $300 million,” said Danny Lopez of Pacers Sports and Entertainment. “We deliver and overdeliver on these events as well as any city probably in the world.”
Although the crowds have dispersed, numerous remnants of the festivities have become permanent fixtures in Indianapolis.
That includes the Bicentennial Unity Plaza, which is an outdoor basketball court and event space adjacent to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It opened in the fall and featured the All-Star Weekend Tip-Off concert.
“I take the Red Line to come down here and shoot around for at least a half an hour,” said Ke’Shawn Johnson, an Indianapolis resident who utilizes the plaza court every day. “It’s amazing and crazy to hear that so many people came to Indianapolis.”
Indianapolis had waited since 1985 for another chance to host the NBA All-Star Game. San Francisco in 2025 and Los Angeles in 2026 will host the next two NBA All-Star Games, which may be regarded as the polar opposites of Indianapolis.
Lopez hopes that the NBA provides each of its towns a chance to shine in front of all-star fans.
“I think it’s important that markets like ours and cities like Indianapolis get to show off to the whole world,” he remarked. “However, this is not news to us. There is just one city in America capable of hosting the whole 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.”
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