LAS VEGAS, Aug. 5 --- Las Vegas has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2007, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The 2007 game will mark the first time that NBA All-Star is held in a city without an NBA team.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will serve as the host organization for NBA All-Star 2007.

NBA Commissioner David Stern awards All-Star 2007 to Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images/NBAE
NBA All-Star is a week-long celebration that enables fans from around the globe to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love while also leaving a lasting impact in the host city’s community. The week’s festivities will culminate on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007 with the playing of the 56th NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas & Mack Center. The game will be televised on TNT in the United States and will reach a worldwide television audience in more than 200 countries.

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The NBA All-Star competitions will tip off on Friday, Feb. 16, as the League’s top rookies and second-year players square off in the Rookie Challenge. The excitement will continue the next day with NBA All-Star Saturday featuring the Shooting Stars, a shooting competition featuring NBA Legends, NBA and WNBA players; Skills Challenge, a competition of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, long-range shots and agility drills; and the Three-Point Shootout, where six of the NBA’s best long-range shooters compete against each other and versus the clock in the test of three-point shooting accuracy. The evening’s grand finale, the Slam Dunk Contest, will showcase some of the NBA’s best athletes as they take to the air mystifying fans with their gravity-defying creativity.

Not all of the action will take place on the hardwood as the NBA will partner with schools and community-based organizations in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas to showcase the League’s on-going commitment to the community. Highlighting the NBA All-Star 2007 activities in the community will be the NBA All-Star Legacy Project and a series of events with current and former NBA and WNBA players reaching out to youth-serving organizations.

NBA All-Star 2007 will also feature the 14th NBA All-Star Jam Session, the ultimate interactive basketball experience, which will be held at The Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The event is open to the public and will provide fans of all ages the opportunity to take part in NBA All-Star 2007. Jam Session will feature more than 350,000 square feet of non-stop NBA All-Star entertainment, offering fans of all ages the opportunity to collect autographs and meet NBA and WNBA players, compete against their friends at the on-court skills challenges, watch their kids slam dunk at the Kids Zone and much more. Fans can hang out at Club NBA and enjoy the sounds of today’s hottest musical artists. Jam Session’s centerpiece is Center Court where fans can experience NBA stars and celebrities up close. Center Court is home to the NBA All-Star Practice, NBA Rookie and Sophomore Practices and the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 130,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and 9 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com.