NBA Takes Stand For LGBT and Pulls All-Star Game From Charlotte

(AP Photo)

The NBA will not hold the 2017 All-Star game in Charlotte, North Carolina because state lawmakers show no signs of revising or repealing the state’s transgender bathroom law. The league had expressed its opposition to the law known as HB2 since it was enacted in March. Once state congress wasn’t meeting again until the fall, the NBA took action into their own hands.

“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2,” the league said in a statement.

Commissioner Adam Silver wanted to wait as long as possible to make one, believing positive dialogue could lead to changes it felt the law needed. But he also said a decision would need to be made this summer, and the league was disappointed when the General Assembly restored the ability of workers to use state law to sue over employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and other factors — but left gender identity and sexual orientation unprotected.  League MVP Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte while his father played for the Hornets, saidThursday on ESPN he agreed with the NBA’s decision but was disappointed his hometown won’t play host in February.

This isn’t the first time a Sporting Event was Moved due to Politics 

Sports organizations and businesses have been fairly successful at convincing states to repeal or modify heinous laws. In 1990, the NFL removed Super Bowl XXVII from Arizona, because the state didn’t want to recognize Martin Luther King Day as a holiday. In 1992, the state finally recognized  Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday.  In 2015, an anti-LGBT Indiana law was modified after an uproar from the NBA, Nascar, and the NCAA.

What’s Next For The 2017 NBA All-Star Game ?

Let the rumors begins for possible destinations to host the 2017 All-Star Game. Early candidates include  New Orleans,Las Vegas, Brooklyn, and Chicago. Planning for an All-Star game usually takes months if not at least a year. The NBA will have seven months to plan for the game.  Realistically, the NBA is looking for a city that holds such a large event on a short notice. The NBA already stated, Charlotte will most likely be rewarded the NBA All-Star Game in 2019. The 2018 NBA All-Star Game will be held in Los Angeles , at the Staples Center.