Detroit Pistons looking to host NBA All-Star Game in 2029 or 2030

Show Caption

The Detroit Pistons haven’t hosted an NBA All-Star Game since 1979. But that could change soon if the team has its way.

Speaking at last week’s Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem said the team is interested in hosting the All Star Game in either 2029 or 2030 to align with the 40th anniversary of the height of the franchise’s Bad Boys era.

Those Pistons teams won back-to-back NBA titles in 1988-89 and 1989-90, the first two titles in the history of the franchise.

“It will be a huge event here because Detroit loves basketball,” said Tellem, first reported by Pistons.com’s Vince Ellis. “It’ll (have a positive impact) on jobs, businesses, bringing people to the city from all over the world because the NBA All-Star Game is a global event. I think it’ll be an amazing thing if we can pull it off.”

The Pistons first publicly expressed an interest in hosting the All-Star game following Detroit’s hosting of the 2024 NFL Draft, which brought more than 700,000 fans to the weekend event.

While the All-Star event likely wouldn’t bring as many fans as the NFL draft did, it could still bring another big party to the city.

MORE: Detroit’s NFL draft success may open door for NBA All-Star weekend to follow suit

The Pistons have hosted two All-Star Games in their history, though only one happened in Detroit. The first came in 1959 at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, where the Pistons shared a venue with the Detroit Red Wings from 1957-61. The second happened in 1979 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, where the Pistons played from 1979-88.

Hall of Famer Bob Lanier represented the Pistons for the East in the 1979 game. Hall of Famer Dick McGuire and Gene Shue represented Detroit for the West in 1959.

Intuit Dome, current home of the Los Angeles Clippers, is scheduled to host the 2026 All-Star Game, while the Footprint Center in Phoenix will host the the 2027 game. If Detroit is selected for a future All-Star Game, it would likely take place at Little Caesars Arena — though Ford Field could be an option considering the stadium will host the men’s college basketball’s Final Four in 2027.

Big events in Detroit

Despite the city’s long history with professional sports, jewel events like these have recently been rare occurrences in Detroit. The Red Wings have hosted five NHL All-Star Games in their history, but none since 1980 at Joe Louis Arena (and before that, four in a six-year period between 1950-55 at Olympia Stadium).

Comerica Park hosted the 2005 MLB All-Star Game, but before that, the game hadn’t been in Detroit since 1971. Super Bowl XVI was played at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1981 and Super Bowl XL was played at Ford Field in 2006.

If Little Caesars Arena were to be selected to host the NBA All Star Game, it would be the first of its kind (basketball or hockey) since the arena opened in 2017.

Future NBA All-Star Games schedule

There are two scheduled NBA All-Star Games coming up:

2026: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California.

2027: PHX Arena, Phoenix.

2028: To be announced.

2029: To be announced.

2030: To be announced.

You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This post was originally published on this site