In 1925, Dr. James Naismith traveled to Indiana to get a glimpse of just how popular the sport he’d invented, “basket ball,” had become.
What he observed during the Indianapolis high school basketball state championship stunned him. Thousands of fans had packed the Exposition Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, with locals getting turned away at the door due to full capacity – a far cry from what he’d envisioned when he first set up peach baskets nailed to a balcony during the winter of 1891.
Upon returning home, Naismith penned perhaps the well-known basketball quote by all Hoosiers.
“While the game was invented in Massachusetts, basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport,” Naismith wrote.
Nearly 100 years later, Indiana remains the nucleus of the global basketball ecosystem, with the NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis serving as another shining example of how Hoosiers’ hospitality and passion for the sport remain unmatched.
Hundreds of thousands of basketball fans from across the world converged on the Circle City from Feb. 15-18, and millions more followed the festivities globally as a celebration of basketball, hoops culture, and charity work took place.
After six years of pandemic-delayed planning, All-Star Weekend proved an unparalleled experience. The city of Indianapolis, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and local nonprofits and businesses – working together in true Hoosier fashion – created a perfect balance of honoring the sport’s past while giving a glimpse of the future.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver gave the All-Star Weekend top marks, praising the leadership and creativity from all those involved, especially the Simon family.
“All these years later, Indiana remains the epicenter of basketball and it’s due in large part to the leadership of (Pacers owner) Herb Simon,” Silver said. “He’s the longest standing governor in NBA History. He’s owned the Pacers for 41 years, which is quite remarkable.”
On top of the Simon family’s commitment to the sport, much credit for the success of the 2024 weekend has been attributed to Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson. Fuson, who was a major reason the other 1985 All-Star Game in Indianapolis was a success, and who is retiring in June after working for the Pacers for 40 years, has garnered universal praise for his work.
"I am humbled that a young guy from the northeast side of Indianapolis with a father who wrote sports could be here where I am today," Fuson told WTHR. "Never thought that I'd ever get here, but to work for a guy like Herb Simon and Mel Simon and to be part of this wonderful city, my heart is full."
Current and former NBA players and coaches sang high praises for the city the entire weekend, from the Rising Stars Challenge to All-Star Saturday Night to the grand finale of the All-Star Game itself.
"We know how to do big events, and what bigger event than the All-Star Game, to have it here, where I feel we have the best fanbase in all of professional sports,” Pacers legend Reggie Miller said. “It's always good to come home."
Indianapolis offered memorable experiences for those visiting, like the state-of-the-art LED court at Lucas Oil Stadium and dozens of free events throughout the city, but the impact of All-Star Weekend will extend past Sunday night’s finale.
The Pacers made it a priority to make this year's All-Star Weekend the most inclusive and impactful one ever, and as part of the initiative, NBA Cares contributed $3.5 million in charity support to Indiana not-for-profits and historically Black colleges and universities, as well as 50 social impact and youth basketball events.
That’s not to mention the countless other opportunities organized by the Pacers and NBA, like the million meals assembled on Day of Service, the restoration of the Christamore House, or the $340,000 combined dollars also went to the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis and Special Olympics Indiana after the All-Star Game, among countless other works.
The ripples of All-Star Weekend will be felt for years to come, and it will undoubtedly take fewer than another 39 years before the event returns to Indianapolis after the numerous successes of 2024.
In the meantime, the Pacers will return to their regularly scheduled slate of games, starting Thursday at home against the Detroit Pistons.
“I think there's a lot of energy in the building, a lot of energy from Pacers fans, a lot for us to be excited about,” Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton said. “...There’s been a lot of love and excitement through not only our city, but our organization as well. We just want to carry that momentum in the second half of the season and make a playoff push.”