The NBA announced, on Sept. 25, that the All-star game will return to New York City and the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks will co-host the event.
The Knicks will host the 64th All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, at the newly renovated Madison Square Garden. The Nets will host the Friday and Saturday night events, including the 3-point shootout and the dunk contest, at Barclays Center.
The 2015 game will be the first time the All-Star game will be held in a cold-weather city since 2005 (Denver) and the fifth time it has been held in New York City, though it will be the first to include grassroots events for the fans throughout the city's five boroughs. New York has previously hosted the All-Star games in 1954, 1955, 1968 and 1998, with the Eastern Conference winning each of those meetings.
"New York offers an extraordinary opportunity to host NBA All-Star events at two world-class venues," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "We look forward to celebrating our game with basketball fans across the entire city, in all five boroughs."
All-Star Weekend has been co-hosted in the past. In 2010, the Saturday night’s events were held at American Airlines Center in Dallas, while the game was played the next night at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium in nearby Arlington, Texas.
The NBA started planning the 2015 event about two years ago and included sit included a sit-down between Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and Knicks’ owner James Dolan that Stern brokered.
Stern downplayed any significance to the meeting.
"Each of them were very receptive to the idea," the commissioner said. "They thought it would be a good idea to get together, that's all."
Deputy commissioner Adam Silver added the league will consider the possibility of the Nets hosting a game in the near future.
"We're not ready to be specific yet but there will be an opportunity for Brooklyn to host the game," the deputy commissioner said.
The 2014 All-Star game will take place in New Orleans in February, it will mark the ninth time a team from the Western Conference has hosted the event since 2004.
The East holds a 36-26 advantage over the West though the West has won the past three All-Star games.
