Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Says People Should Not Travel for NBA All-Star Game

Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said people should not travel to Atlanta for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on March 7.

"Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to host the NBA All-Star game, but this is not a typical year," Bottoms said, per NBC 11Alive's Chenue Her. "I have shared my concerns related to public health and safety with the NBA and Atlanta Hawks. We are in agreement that this is a made-for-TV event only, and people should not travel to Atlanta to party. There will be no sanctioned events open to the public and we strongly encourage promoters, clubs, bars, etc. not to host events in the city related to this game."

This year's All-Star Game was initially scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, but it was later moved to Atlanta due to the COVID-19 pandemic and schedule conflicts with the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament.

The plan is to hold the three-point contest and the skills challenge during the pregame session of the All-Star Game. The dunk contest will be held during halftime of the game.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Sarah K. Spencer, the game will not be ticketed, but there will be an expected attendance of 1,200–1,500 consisting of local healthcare workers and students/staff from local HBCUs as well as some family members of All-Star players.

On Monday the NBA sent a memo to its teams explaining its agreement with the National Basketball Players Association regarding health and safety protocols for the break. According to the memo, which was obtained by ESPN, players participating in All-Star weekend are allowed to travel only to their out-of-market home before going to Atlanta. 

In addition everyone traveling to and from Atlanta will do so by private transportation that will be provided by the NBA and players participating will be allowed a "limited" amount of family or close friends with them.

In recent weeks a number of presumptive All-Star participants have voiced concerns over the event, including Lakers star LeBron James among others.

In early February James said he had "zero energy and zero excitement" for the event, adding, "I don't even understand why we're having an All-Star Game."

All-Star starters will be revealed on Thursday evening while All-Star reserves will be announced on Feb. 23.