Why San Antonio should host the NBA All-Star Game again

Hosting the All-Star Game

As far as San Antonio is concerned, it has the capacity. San Antonio routinely hosts a variety of similar events such as the NCAA Final Four tournament and a plethora of conferences. The city itself is constantly putting on conventions, and tradeshows. A quick look at Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center schedule proves that San Antonio is no stranger to welcoming travelers from all over. 

On top of that, it’s a warm city in February. There are a number of individuals who would appreciate not having to travel to Cleveland or Salt Lake in the winter. This only works in San Antonio’s favor when the host city is selected. 

Even if you forget all of that, take a second to just look at the basketball. Since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 the Spurs have produced an All-Star in 41 seasons, more than any other team in that span. They are one of the winningest teams in all of sports, and have a coach officially crowned as the best to ever do it. Not to mention they recently broke the NBA single game attendance record, packing nearly 70,000 people into the Alamodome. 

Plus, Texans will travel for good basketball. San Antonio residents weren’t the only ones in attendance during January’s anniversary game at the Alamodome. One Arlington high school student drove the four hours just to see the Warriors, as reported by Marcus Thompson of The Athletic. And that wasn’t his first attempt either. He made the trip to San Antonio five years ago but was met with disappointment when Curry had to sit out with injury. Fans will travel to see the superstars.

The rodeo problem

So why can’t this city have itself an NBA All-Star game?

Well it’s a bit trickier than you might think. Firstly, the city itself has to bid on the game. Meaning it has to want to host it, which is reasonable. It has to prove it can accommodate the event and then it will be chosen based on a number of deciding factors. 

But wait, it’s already been well established that the city could easily accommodate the event, right? Yes and no. The city does have the ability and facilities but there is one major hold up, one that some may have already considered: The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. 

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo happens every year right around the same time as the NBA All-Star Weekend. It’s happening right now. It’s the reason the Spurs have their annual “Rodeo Road Trip.”

It would be tricky hosting both, but there are a few potential options. Have both at the same time or shift one of them up or down on the calendar. Hosting simultaneously might be more achievable than initially thought. The Rodeo being at the AT&T Center and the All-Star game at the Alamodome would give enough space for both to function. San Antonio has the space and accommodations, and saying both can’t happen might not actually be the case. 

If that duality isn’t achievable there are still other options. While the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo may seem like an isolated event, it actually exists within a much larger organization and circuit, probably more complex than the NBA given the personnel and animals involved. Moving it around might be a possibility but it’s a huge ask. San Antonio’s rodeo “has grown to become one of the largest, most prestigious single events in the city." It provides unquantifiable benefits to the city. Rescheduling could potentially have a ripple effect that would shift the entire circuit. It’s not impossible but it is daunting. 

The NBA itself isn’t very likely to want to change the calendar either, but the league has been having discussions that may provide some hope. The 82-game season has been criticized as being too long. If there were to be a restructuring of the schedule, in favor of a shorter season and potentially an in-season tournament, fans could see All-Star weekend land in a new place on the calendar. 

An additional obstacle for the weekend would be the need for it to be held at the Alamodome. The All-Star game is much more than the game on Sunday. It’s an entire cornucopia of events that go throughout the weekend. Off court, participants will want to experience the city, and unfortunately the AT&T Center doesn’t have the neighborhood that the Alamodome does. Hence why the NCAA tournaments are also held at the Alamodome.

Taking into account the NBA, the Rodeo, and Alamodome (which now also includes the XFL), that's three pretty major schedules that need consideration. It would be a challenge but there is no way it is totally impossible for the seventh biggest city in the nation to host both events within the same year, it will just take some creative, intelligent, logistics. 

To bid or not to bid

The economic impact alone makes this worth it. Cleveland hosted the most recent All-Star weekend in February 2022 and had an economic impact of roughly $100 million for the city. That’s Cleveland, a smaller and less prestigious city if we’re talking about basketball. 

But it won’t happen unless the city wants it, that’s the biggest issue. The Spurs organization itself has shown little interest, as made evident by the lack of bids at hosting. Former Spurs Sports and Entertainment CEO, Rick Pych, did express interest in hosting the game at the Alamodome. 

“We do have an interest in bringing the game back to San Antonio. And we have talked to the league about it. We would want to have it in the Alamodome,” Pych told the San Antonio Business Journal’s W. Scott Bailey almost 12 years ago. The biggest push will need to come from the fans and the citizens. 

In the coming years the Spurs will be good. It’ll be a big help if San Antonio is home to one of the biggest rising stars in the league, as it plans to be. Who knows, in those coming years the stars may align. The NBA schedule could shift, the Alamodome will have an open weekend, and the Spurs organization will make the bid to the NBA.