After announcing the cancellation of the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend back in November, will the NBA stick to its guns?

Though nothing is officially confirmed, it is looking more and more like the NBA is going to go ahead with its annual All-Star game. The event was announced as canceled back in November, as the league was in the midst of its shortest offseason in history. The bubble experiment worked, but it made for some difficult scheduling for the following (current) season.

Now, we have several postponed games per week as some teams struggle to consistently meet the requirements for an 8-man roster as the pandemic rages on. Though there is hope on the horizon with the rollout of vaccines and smarter precautions, there is still plenty of cause for concern.

Voting for NBA All-Star 2021 players is underway in a relatively small window - January 28th through February 16th (Vote here). The original assumption was that the All-Star titles would be an honor only, with no actual game. The thinking was that bringing players from all different teams together unnecessarily could make COVID containment difficult.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA and NBPA are finalizing an agreement on an All-Star game in Atlanta and the protocols that will be enacted. March 7th is the proposed date for the event, which would see all skill competitions as well. The full break would be March 5th-10th.

Apparently, the health and safety protocols are the only holdup, as both sides are trying to determine the best way to minimize the risk to what will be many of the league’s top players. Additionally, other players on the break will not be allowed to travel overseas in addition to other protocols and suggestions.

Players and executives alike have been a bit resistant to the idea. LeBron James noted that he would attend, but may not be enthused about it. De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings bluntly called having the game “stupid.” Luckily for Fox, he will probably not be invited despite his All-Star level salary.

Whether or not having a game is a good idea, it appears to be in the pipeline. Fans will likely not attend, making it one more strange-looking event for pandemic sports. The Basketball Movement will continue to monitor news about the All-Star events, NBA, and hoops in general, so keep checking back!