LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers have yet to complete building their new arena but the 2026 National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is officially booked.
The NBA announced on Jan 16 that the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California will host the 75th version of the All-Star Game on Feb 15, 2026.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was on site at the Intuit Dome to make the announcement, along with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, team president of business operations Gillian Zucker and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“The Intuit Dome promises to present a unique and innovative live basketball experience which will be an extraordinary venue for the NBA All-Star Game in 2026,” Silver said in a statement.
“Thanks again to Steve Ballmer, Gillian Zucker, and the Clippers organisation for their commitment to delivering a world-class showcase of the very best of our sport.”
He said that the new venue would also host basketball games at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. A spokesperson for LA 2028 said plans would be discussed at a later date.
The US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) Intuit Dome is slated to open in August, ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Ballmer views the facility as being a multi-purpose arena that does more than host Clippers’ basketball games. And he sees landing a marquee event such as the All-Star Game as a good start.
“We are building Intuit Dome to house and showcase the best basketball players in the world, and we are honoured they will all be under our roof for NBA All-Star,” said Ballmer, who became the Clippers’ majority owner in 2014, and said in 2017 he wanted to move the team to their own arena.
“Along with Inglewood and Los Angeles, we thank the NBA for bringing the league’s marquee event to Intuit Dome in 2026.”
This will be the seventh time the NBA All-Star Game has been held in the Los Angeles area.
The event was also held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1963, The Forum in Inglewood in 1972 and 1983, and at the then-Staples Centre – now Crypto.com Arena currently shared by the Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers – in 2004, 2011 and 2018.
As usual, other All-Star related events will be held in conjunction with the game.
The Rising Stars game for top rookies and second-year players will be held on Friday, Feb 13, 2026 with the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Challenge and Slam Dunk event held the following night.
With the announcement, the NBA has the next three All-Star venues lined up.
Indianapolis is the host of the All-Star Game in February and San Francisco will hold the 2025 event. REUTERS, AFP
