Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Tim Reynolds, the national basketball writer for The Associated Press, is praising Indianapolis for setting the tone for NBA All-Star Weekend even before he and fellow media members arrive in the city.
The Miami-based journalist said the full-sized replica basketball court installed last month at Indianapolis International Airport captured his imagination.
“I wanted to fly up for the day and just sit in the airport, talking to people as they gawked at this thing,” Reynolds said. “What a simple but brilliant idea. And what better way to welcome those of us flying in this week? ‘Oh, yeah, here’s the reminder of why you’re here.’”
The airport’s replica court, individually penned “love letters to basketball” placed in hotel rooms and an easy-to-navigate downtown could win over the reported 1,500 media members visiting in person, but the NBA All-Star Game’s allure as a television broadcast is trending downward.
TV viewership tumbled from 6.3 million for the 2022 game played in Cleveland to 4.6 million for the 2023 game played in Salt Lake City, according to figures published by Sports Media Watch. In comparison, the Super Bowl that Indianapolis hosted in 2012 drew more than 111 million viewers.
With hopes of a ratings rebound, the NBA made changes to the game’s format for the 2024 edition in Indianapolis. On Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the game will return to its classic Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference matchup.
In recent years, the NBA All-Star Game experimented with team captains selecting players in a draft and using a target score to end the game rather than time expiring in the fourth quarter.
In addition to the 8 p.m. Sunday telecast on TNT and TBS, the game will be available for viewing in more than 200 countries.
Scott Agness, a reporter who covers the Indiana Pacers at his Fieldhouse Files website and podcast, said the NBA All-Star Game has more global appeal than the NFL’s Super Bowl.
“I remember going from my hotel to a media party last year [in Salt Lake City], and a gentleman from Japan walked next to me. He said, ‘Do you know where we’re going? Let’s go.’”
International media are commonplace at the Indianapolis 500 each May. Similar to IndyCar, the NBA is made up of athletes from many countries.
A record 125 international players appeared on opening-night NBA rosters when the 2023-24 season began. That number translates into 28% of the league.
Three players born outside of the United States—Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokić (Serbia) and Joel Embiid (Cameroon)—account for all MVP titles awarded across the last five seasons.
“The league has become very international, which was always David Stern’s vision,” said Reynolds, referring to the late NBA commissioner who oversaw the league from 1984 to 2014.
This edition of All-Star Weekend will be memorable, Reynolds said, for being the first to feature San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama. Although the 20-year-old from France isn’t part of the Western Conference roster, he is scheduled to participate in the Rising Stars games Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as well as Saturday’s Skills Challenge activities at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“He’s already the next global thing,” said Reynolds, who traveled overseas more than once to write about 7-foot-4 center Wembanyama before his NBA debut. “His presence alone will bring a lot more eyeballs to the game.”
After Indianapolis hosts this All-Star Game, the next two host cities are California’s San Francisco in 2025 and Los Angeles in 2026. Agness said some media members will be happy about a West Coast shift after recent games in Chicago (2020), Cleveland (2022) and Salt Lake City (2023).
“One of the first things everyone pays attention to is what the weather looks like,” Agness said. “For some, it’s a vacation. For some, it’s a place to try to sell a product. For others, you’re just trying to enjoy All-Star Weekend. We’ll make the best of whatever weather we have, I think.”
No precipitation is predicted Friday through Sunday in Indianapolis, with temperatures expected to range from the 20s to mid-40s.
Reynolds said visiting media members won’t be surprised to see Indianapolis embrace its chance to host the NBA All-Star Game for the first time since 1985.
“We all know that basketball is the official sport, official language and official everything of Indiana,” he said.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.