|
The NBA will arrange private travel for
All-Star Game participants and, together with the National
Basketball Players Association, will commit over $2.5 million
toward Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and
COVID-19 relief efforts.
"NBA All-Star in Atlanta will continue our annual tradition of
celebrating the game and the greatest players in the world
before a global audience," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in
a news release.
"In addition to the festivities on the court, the All-Star Game
will honor the vital role HBCUs play in our communities and
focus attention and resources on COVID-19 relief, particularly
for the most vulnerable."
LeBron James, the league's most high-profile player, has been
among those who voiced displeasure about staging an All-Star
Game amid a pandemic and during an already compressed
regular-season schedule.
"I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game
this year," four-times NBA champion James said two weeks ago
when talks surrounding a potential exhibition were ongoing. "I
don't even understand why we're having an All-Star Game."
Among the health and safety protocols that will be in place for
the All-Star festivities is the creation of a "mini bubble"
environment within a single hotel for players and coaches, and
enhanced COVID-19 testing.
All participating players will be required to remain at the
designated hotel except for All-Star activities while there will
be no fan activities or ticketed events.
Rather than schedule several events over the course of a
weekend, the NBA said it will hold the All-Star Game,
three-point contest, skills competition and slam dunk contest on
the same day.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
