2017 NBA All-Star Game Will be Played in New Orleans

After deciding to pull the NBA All-Star game out of North Carolina due to the state's controversial anti-LGBT law passed in March, the NBA announced on Friday that the game would be moved to New Orleans.

The 66th edition of the game will be played Feb. 19, 2017 at Smoothie King Center, home to the New Orleans Pelicans. The game was previously scheduled to be played in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"New Orleans is a world-class destination for sports and entertainment and we are very appreciative that the city is once again hosting our All-Star festivities," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "We are grateful to Tom and Gayle Benson and the Pelicans organization and to Governor John Bel Edwards, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation for inviting us back for what promised to be another exciting and memorable celebration of the game."

In addition to the All-Star game, the center will also play host to the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge and the State Farm All-Star Saturday night.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's office called the move an example of "politically-correct hypocrisy gone mad."

"According to his own statements, Commissioner Silver has no credibility in telling America that he's more 'comfortable' playing a basketball game in the People's Republic of China with its oppressive human rights record, rather than the 9th most populous state in the U.S.A.," Josh Ellis, communications director for the governor's office, said in a statement. "This is another classic example of politically-correct hypocrisy gone mad. We are proud that Louisiana has joined 21 other states that are fighting for basic privacy expectations for our children and families in school restrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities."

In June, WBTV reported leadership was drafting new legislation amid pressure from the NBA to walk back certain parts of the legislation.

North Carolina GOP leaders scheduled a special session in March where they publicly unveiled the language of the bill. The aim was to stop a newly approved ordinance in Charlotte that would prohibit discrimination in public areas based on someone's gender identity and sexual orientation and would allow transgender residents to use either the men or women's bathroom, depending on which gender they identified with. The ordinance would have gone into effect April 1. The North Carolina General Assembly was originally meant to convene in late April.

This report will be updated.

Image Credit: Antioch Smith (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons