Report: Celtics’ bid for All-Star Game still a possibility despite upcoming sale
The Celtics remain interested in hosting the game for the first time since 1964.
Although the team is up for sale, the Celtics remain interested in bringing an NBA All-Star Game to Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Boston has not hosted an NBA All-Star game since 1964. Washburn reported last year that the Celtics were targeting a bid for the 2029 All-Star Game. Washburn said this week that the bid is still possible, but it has been put on hold as the NBA determines other scheduling commitments.
Jaylen Brown, a four-time All-Star with the Celtics, said he would be in favor of Boston hosting the game again.
“That would be great. That would be awesome,” Brown said Sunday. “I think the city is equipped for it . I think they got the craziest fans in the world in Boston, so I’m sure that they would enjoy it.”
“It kind of seemed a little empty in here tonight,” he added after his Shaq’s OG’s team won the All-Star game. “I don’t think in Boston that would happen. So, yeah, if they bring the All-Star Game to Boston I would love to be there and I would love to participate. I think that would be great for the game.”
The NBA has announced that the 2026 game will be played at Los Angeles’s Intuit Dome and the 2027 game will be played at Phoenix’s Footprint Center.
Boston hosted the first two NBA All-Star games at the Boston Garden in 1951 and 1952. It hosted again in 1957, and for the last time in 1964.
The last time Boston hosted the All-Star game of one of the four traditionally major men’s professional sports leagues was the MLB All-Star game at Fenway Park in 1999.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver encouraged Boston to submit an application in 2022. The league embraced the Celtics’ application, according to the Globe, and is interested in bringing the game back to Boston.
Bidding for the All-Star game is a competitive process, and the host city has to meet certain logistical demands from the league as well. The league reportedly wants access to a convention center for a week, a secondary arena for some of the weekend’s other events, and more than 7,000 hotel rooms, among other things.
“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,” Celtics president Rich Gotham said in 2024. “From the Celtics’ perspective, we’d really love to host it. We think it would be a great thing for the city of Boston.”
“The economic impact is really big,” he added. “It’s not quite the Super Bowl, but as far as sporting events go, it’s a big event. It’s the NBA version of the Super Bowl and it draws people from all over the world. The media coverage is global and it would be a great way to showcase Boston, and Boston is certainly, particularly with all the development that’s gone on in the Seaport, all the hotels, the facilities, Boston’s definitely a viable destination, so we’re hoping to be able to bring a game [here].”
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