Report: Orlando Magic have expressed desire to host 2017 All-Star Game

With the NBA All-Star Game leaving Charlotte in 2017, Orlando has reportedly expressed a desire to host the game as a replacement.

The Orlando Magic have expressed a desire to host the 2017 All-Star Game, which the NBA announced Thursday would be moving from Charlotte, Christian Bruey of WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando reports.

The NBA decided to move the All-Star Game from Charlotte in 2017 as a political protest against the passage of House Bill 2 which prohibits cities and counties from passing ordinances to specifically protect LGBT residents from discrimination. The national focus has been on the portion that would allow transgender individuals to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.

This is not the place to rehash those arguments.

The NBA came down on the side of standing with the city of Charlotte’s ordinance to protect LGBT rights and against North Carolina’s emergency legislation to ban such protections. They threatened to move the All-Star Game and made good on that threat.

"“Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change,” Commissioner Adam Silver said in a prepared statement. “We have been guided in these discussions by the long-standing core values of our league.  These include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.”"

Orlando has been mentioned as a possible destination for the All-Star Game to land. It makes sense for the city to emerge. Orlando can host the event on short notice because of the ample hotel space, and the Amway Center is an excellent venue for a major event like this.

Even with construction in Downtown Orlando, the city could host a major event. The city will host a much larger event in April with WWE’s Wrestlemania 33 going to Camping World Stadium.

There was a small social media push to have Orlando host the event especially after the Pulse nightclub shootings as a sign of solidarity with the LGBT community. The story seems to write itself.

But, there are certainly some hangups. While it would be a kind gesture, the Magic are not the right franchise to make that statement.

Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos and his family have a long history of not supporting LGBT causes. The family has long donated against measures in states that would support marriage equality and supported campaigns to ban marriage equality.

Unless there has been a major change in their politics, it is not likely this sends the message to the LGBT community the NBA would want. Certainly not after acting to defend their rights by putting this political pressure on the state of North Carolina.

New Orleans has emerged as the favorite to host the All-Star Game, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical. Orlando may be an option, but it is not likely the best option for this political message.

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More likely than not, Orlando will stick to its plan and submit a bid for the All-Star Game in 2019 or 2020 when the entertainment complex has completed construction.