NEW ARTS COLLABORATION, HOOSIER HISTORIA, MARKS 500 DAYS TO NBA ALL-STAR 2024

KEY POINTS:

• NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis is now just 500 days away, and the Host Committee and partners are ramping back up.
• The NBA All-Star 2024 Host Committee leadership is comprised of a diverse set of community leaders, all committed to making this All-Star Weekend the most inclusive and community-centric ever.
• Hoosier Historia, a new arts and culture collaboration with the Indy Arts Council, will celebrate the uniqueness of Indiana high school basketball and give Hoosiers a platform to vote on their all-time favorite high school Hoosier Hysteria people, moments, places, and stories.

INDIANAPOLIS – In just 500 days, basketball’s biggest stars will come to Indianapolis for NBA All-Star 2024 Weekend and the NBA All-Star 2024 Host Committee is calling on Indiana to get in the game, the organization announced today. Host Committee officials joined Mayor Hogsett, Indy Arts Council leadership, and others to unveil the NBA All-Star 2024 logo, recognize volunteer event leadership, and remind Hoosiers that planning for the game, which was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is back on track. 

“It has been nearly 2,000 days since Larry Bird hand-delivered our NBA All-Star bid as only Indy could – driving an Indy Car down New York’s Fifth Avenue to NBA offices – and it feels great to get back to planning this global event for our global city,” said Rick Fuson, Chief Executive Officer for Pacers Sports & Entertainment and Chair of the NBA All-Star 2024 Board of Directors. “We are going to be working hard over the next 500 days to make sure we deliver an NBA All-Star Weekend the way only our city and our state can.”

Monday’s 500-days-out announcement also included a new public art project, Hoosier Historia, which will invite people across Indiana to vote on their favorite high school basketball people, moments, places, and stories. The project, a collaboration between the NBA All-Star 2024 Host Committee, CIB and the Indy Arts Council, will then engage a diverse group of artists from across the state to design and paint their interpretations of the highest-ranked moments on 6-foot basketball sculptures that will be displayed downtown during NBA All-Star 2024 Weekend. The Host Committee hopes to elicit feedback from as many Hoosiers as possible, further incorporate arts and culture into the All-Star festivities while supporting diverse artists, and spark good-natured debate and discussion on the topic about which so many are most passionate. 

Interested artists can register to be notified of updates and more information at https://bit.ly/ARTYBALL, and more details on the project itself, including how Hoosiers can vote, will be available in the coming weeks.

“Indy has always looked to creatives to help convey what’s special about our city through authentic cultural experiences that combine our love for sports and arts,” said Indy Arts Council President & CEO Julie Goodman. “The NBA All-Star Game experience is all about culture - art, music, heritage, food, fashion, and more. Our Arts & Culture Committee promises that, when the international spotlight of the NBA All-Star Game shines on Indianapolis in 2024, Indy’s culture and creativity will show up and out in ways that make this a truly unforgettable experience for residents and visitors.”

Fuson and Mel Raines, President & COO of PSE and President of the NBA All-Star 2024 Board, have noted their commitment to make NBA All-Star 2024 the most inclusive, community-centric, and exciting All-Star Weekend ever, a chance to use basketball as a vehicle for more intentionally engaging Indianapolis neighborhoods and communities throughout the state. Last month, the Host Committee announced funding for three new Legacy Projects, adding to the group of 21 awarded in 2021 , as well as for 24 additional Rising Stars college scholarships. The application deadline for new applicants closed Friday, and officials said Monday they will be making award announcements in the coming months.

Finally, Monday’s press conference was also an important opportunity to acknowledge the volunteer Host Committee leaders who will execute the gameplan for this multi-faceted event over the next 500 days.

“What separates Indianapolis and Indiana, when it comes to successfully pulling off world-class events, is the way in which our civic, community, and business leaders unfailingly step up in an all-hands-on-deck way, and we have seen exactly that with NBA All-Star 2024,” said Mel Raines. “This diverse group of high-impact leaders understand what this event means to our city and state and have once again answered the call, and we are all looking forward to 500 days of hard work.” 

Community Programs - Division Leaders
Dianna Boyce	Rafael Sanchez
Tamika Catchings	Rachel Simon
Tracy Ellis-Ward	Corey Wilson

Community Programs - Committee Leaders
Keira Amstutz	Melody Park
Alan Bacon	Schnette Queisser
Allison Barber	Taylor Schaffer
Daune Conwell	Greg Stowers
Cathy Foley	Noelle Szydlyk
Julie Goodman	Judith Thomas
Matt Greller	Roberta Tisdul
Oscar Gutierrez	Kelli Towles
Mali Simone Jeffers	Alice Watson
William Knox	Doug Weitkamp
Jeremy Kranowitz	Gregory Wilson
	Molly Wright