Atlanta Mayor Says NBA Fans Not Welcome to Travel to All-Star Game Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

The NBA All-Star Game is a few weeks away, and Keisha Lance Bottoms has a message for fans wanting to travel to Atlanta for the event. The Atlanta mayor said NBA fans should not come to the city for the All-Star game to party. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bottoms wants to make sure her city stays safe and there are no outbreaks.

"People should not travel to Atlanta to party," she said in a statement, as reported by ESPN. "Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to host the NBA All-Star game, but this is not a typical year. "I have shared my concerns related to public health and safety with the NBA and Atlanta Hawks. We are in agreement that this is a made-for-TV event only, and people should not travel to Atlanta to party."

Bottoms went on to say there will be "no NBA-sanctioned events open to the public," and Atlanta encourages local businesses "not to host events in the city related to this game." Originally, the 2021 NBA All-Star game was set to take place in Indianapolis but was relocated due to the pandemic. This will be the third time Atlanta will host the All-Star Game and the first time since 2003. The game will be played at State Farm Arena, the home of the Atlanta Hawks.

Bottoms is not the only person worried about the All-Star game. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James recently called out the NBA for not canceling the game and have the players enjoy the All-Star break.

"Coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we'd have a nice little break," James said to reporters earlier this month. "Five days [in March] from the 5th through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well. Some of the guys in the league. James went on to say, "And then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face." James has played in the All-Star Game 16 of his 17 years in the NBA.