The NBA is taking the 2016 All-Star Game across the border to Canada, according to a report.
The 2016 edition of the league’s annual midseason get-together will be played in Toronto, the Toronto Sun reported on Tuesday. An official announcement is expected within a week, according to the Sun’s sources.
The Raptors will be celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2016.
Cleveland was the other serious bidder for the 2016 game, the Sun reported. The 2014 game will be played in February in New Orleans.
“Clearly the 2016 all-star game is a flag in the sand that we planted with the NBA,” said Tim Leiweke, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO, to the Sun in May. “It is a must-have in my opinion and it will be the centerpiece of how we rebrand this.”
The New York Knicks are expected to host the 2015 NBA All-Star Game and the Barclays Center in Brookley will stage the other all-star weekend events, according to the New York Post.
The last major all-star game to be played in Toronto was the NHL All-Star Game in 2000. Since then, the Air Canada Centre has undergone significant renovations.