Reports are indicating that the 2022 NBA All-Star Game will be played at Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Quicken Loans Arena has been viewed as a formidable contender for a future NBA All-Star Game, as it is undergoing a major renovation. The venue closed over the summer in order to accommodate a round of construction prior to the 2018-19 season, with another closing slated for next summer in order to complete the renovation project in time for the 2019-20 campaign.
Chicago’s United Center and Indiana’s Bankers Life Fieldhouse will host the All-Star Games in 2020 and 2021, respectively, but it appears that Cleveland is in line to land the event in 2022. An official announcement could come as soon as Thursday. More from Crain’s Cleveland Business:
Multiple sources have told Crain’s that the NBA and the Cleveland Cavaliers soon will announce that Quicken Loans Arena will host the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. The announcement, sources said, could occur as soon as Thursday, Nov. 1.
In December 2016, when The Q’s transformation plan was first unveiled, the league said it looked forward to hosting its “week of NBA All-Star events in Cleveland in the near future.” The announcement, the league said, would be contingent upon the completion of The Q’s renovation project.
Construction on the arena — after quite a few twists and turns, which included a debate over the financing of the project — started on Sept. 14, 2017, beating the NBA’s deadline by a day. But the major work didn’t begin until June, after the Cavs’ fourth consecutive run to the NBA Finals. The project has since increased to $185 million, $115 million of which will be funded by the Cavs, and is scheduled to be completed prior to the 2019-20 NBA season.
The potential to land more major events was one of the selling points of Quicken Loans Arena’s renovation, and a NBA All-Star Game would fit in with those plans. Once the renovation is complete, it will result in new social spaces, a glass front entrance, new and renovated premium areas, and more.
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