With the NBA pulling the All-Star Game out of Charlotte on Thursday, reports circulated that Brooklyn was a possibility to land the game. But a league source told The Post the Barclays Center was “not in the mix,” despite having been a candidate several years ago to host the 2017 or 2018 game.
When New York/Brooklyn was awarded the 2015 All-Star Weekend, the NBA, Nets and Knicks had talks that would’ve reversed the roles for the 2017 or 2018 game — the All-Star Game at Barclays with the other events at the Garden.
The All-Star Game is not coming to the Garden either, and was not considered. The Garden would need at last a year or two of advance planning to stage a weekend party such as the All-Star Game. The Rangers have a home game date with the Washington Capitals on All-Star Sunday Feb. 19. The Garden will host rock concerts on the Friday and Saturday leading into the main event. “Chances are nil it comes to New York,’’ an NBA source said.
The league yanked the game from Charlotte due to a North Carolina House Bill 2, dubbed the “bathroom bill,” which requires transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings and schools that match the sex on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity. New York has state protections against discrimination against LGBT people.
Mayor de Blasio aimlessly tweeted Thursday that New York would love to host the event.
Multiple sources confirmed a report in The Vertical that New Orleans is expected to host the weekend.
The Nets inked undrafted rookie point guard Yogi Ferrell to a partially guaranteed one-year contract. The depth chart at guard currently tops with Jeremy Lin and Greivis Vasquez, followed by veteran Randy Foye and rookies Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead.
The 5-foot-11 former All-American from Indiana – where he averaged 14.5 points and 4.6 assists over his career – played for Brooklyn in the Las Vegas Summer League. If he doesn’t make the cut when the roster shrinks to 15, he will probably end up running the point for the D-League Long Island Nets.
