NBA Commissioner: Sacramento's All-Star Game Hopes Rest On Number Of Hotel Rooms
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver toured the future site of a new Sacramento Kings arena, but Sacramento may not be on the list to host an All-Star Game any time soon.
He spoke glowingly of the new arena, and he just named DeMarcus Cousins the Kings' first all-star in a decade. But so far, Silver isn't promising Sacramento an opportunity to host his league's All-Star Weekend.
"I'd stretch only that we need to look at how many people the community can accommodate, and then, and then we can extend the circle as far as how many hotel rooms, but at the end of the day we need to be able to accommodate all our guests," he said.
To host a weekend of celebrity-infused parties, complete with star-player glitz and glamour, the league requires cities to have 5,500 downtown hotel rooms. Right now, Sacramento has 3,500.
Expanding outward, the Sacramento region pales in comparison to other host cities. There are 12,000 rooms in the Sacramento region, compared to more than 100,000 in New York City, and 37,000 in New Orleans.
The numbers aren't deterring Mayor Kevin Johnson.
"All I know, we build a brand-new arena downtown in 2016, which we're going to do," he said. "We need to know what it's gonna take to get an All-Star Game, because that was part of the deal. If we build a new arena, we hope to get an All-Star Game."