NBA and Cleveland Cavaliers to announce 2022 All-Star Game at Quicken Loans Arena, per report

LeBron James may no longer be in Cleveland, but it appears a number of the game’s biggest stars will be descending on Northeast Ohio sooner rather than later.

According to a report from Crain’s Cleveland Business, the Cavaliers’ Quicken Loans Arena will host the 2022 NBA All-Star Game — the earliest the star-studded event can be held there — and an announcement could come by Thursday, Nov. 1.

Quicken Loans Arena started a renovation project in 2017, which led to the arena being in consideration for future NBA All-Star Games. Although it started on Sept. 14, 2017 — beating the NBA’s deadline by a day — major work did not begin until June of this year, during the Cavaliers’ NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors. The project has since increased from $115 million to $185 million.

The Boston Celtics’ TD Garden had been in strong consideration for the 2022 All-Star Game, but they did not submit a bid, as the Boston Herald reported back in March. The 2020 All-Star Game will be held in Chicago while the 2021 All-Star Game will be held in Indianapolis, meaning the NBA has been targeting Midwest and Northeast for its annual All-Star festivities.

This will be the first time that Quicken Loans Arena will host the All-Star Game since 1997, when it was in its third year of existence. It will be the first time the Dan Gilbert-owned Cavs will play host to the All-Star festivities, seeing as he bought the team in 2005.

Considering the Cleveland Indians’ Progressive Field will also host the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, there should be a lot of positive economic impact in the city of Cleveland over the next several years.

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