New York (AFP)
The 70th edition of the All-Star Game, whose outfit is contested by stars of the NBA, will take place on March 7, in Atlanta, the organizers confirmed in a statement Thursday.
Heavily criticized, the basketball competition, which brings together the best NBA players from the East Coast and the West Coast, will take place in the den of the Atlanta Hawks team.
The players will therefore not benefit from a cut without an exhibition tournament, contrary to what had been decided before the start of the season by the North American Basketball League.
Several famous players, including LeBron James, had criticized the NBA's decision to maintain an All-Star Game after the 2019-2020 basketball season had ended historically late due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"In addition to the festivities on the floor, the All-Star Game will honor the major role played by the HBCUs (the" historically black universities ", initially only reserved for the African-American community, note) in our communities and will focus its attention and its resources on helping during the Covid-19 crisis, especially the most vulnerable, "said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have announced that they will provide more than $ 2.5 million in funds and resources to HBCUs, in order to guarantee access to care and vaccines against the coronavirus.
The organizers also indicated in this press release that the measures against Covid-19 would be strengthened with the establishment of a health "mini-bubble" and a strengthening of PCR tests.
© 2021 AFP