ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) – With the 2023 NBA Finals right around the corner, the city of Orlando is teaming up with the Orlando Magic in hopes that the city can welcome the league’s brightest stars as the potential host of a future All-Star game.
According to NBC Affiliate WESH, a tourist development tax application was filed in Orange County, seeking $256 million in county tax revenue to help update the Amway Center, which is 13 years old.
The bid is for the city to host the 2027 NBA All-Star game. The last time Orlando hosted the game was back in 2012.
The NBA All-Star Game is an exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association and showcases 24 of the most talented players in the league. The star-studded game is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a three-day event that goes from Friday to Sunday.
Although the city hasn’t hosted the game in over a decade, the mayor of Orlando and the Magic are eager to place the bid.
“We want to have such a great weekend that NBA can’t not come back,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
Magic’s chief communications officers told WESH, “We, in partnership with the city of Orlando, plan to bid for the 2027 NBA All-Star Weekend.”
The All-Star Weekend bid also comes weeks after NBA executive and Orlando Magic co-found Pat Williams revealed plans for a potential MLB stadium in Orlando with the possibility of the Tampa Bay Rays moving their home stadium.
Williams said that if the Rays can’t get a new ballpark in St. Pete, the city of Orlando would welcome the team with open arms.
“If it doesn’t work out, it makes great sense. It makes wonderful sense,” Williams told reporters. “We’re here for them if they need us.”
A group led by Williams said they’ve been hard at work to start looking for a team in Orlando, even if the Rays remain in the Tampa Bay area. According to Front Office Sports, the pitch included a $1.7 billion stadium “funded in part by $975 million from tourist taxes.”
The NBA All-Star Game for 2023 was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and according to NBC Sports, the 2024 game is slated to be held on Feb. 14 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
