NBA says no decision yet on All-Star Game in Charlotte

By Frank Pingue
April 15 (Reuters) - The National Basketball Association has
not yet decided whether to move the 2017 All-Star Game out of
Charlotte in reaction to a state law that has been decried as
discriminatory against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community, Commissioner Adam Silver said on Friday.
Some of the world's top entertainers have canceled shows in
North Carolina as a result of a law barring transgender people
from choosing restrooms consistent with their gender identity.
Cirque du Soleil said on Friday it was canceling shows in
North Carolina over the law, which it called discriminatory.

"The current state of the law is problematic for the league
but we're not making any announcements now," Silver told a news
conference after a two-day NBA board of governors meeting in New
York. "We can be most constructive by working with the elected
officials to effect change."
Silver said the fact that the NBA has a team, the
playoff-bound Charlotte Bobcats, based in North Carolina made
the decision complicated.
He said it would send mixed messages if the NBA pulled the
All-Star Game, which generates millions of dollars for the host
city, from Charlotte but went ahead and held playoff games there
later this month.
When the legislation was passed in March the NBA called it
"discriminatory" and said it did not know what effect it would
have on its ability to successfully host the midseason showcase
in Charlotte.
Following the owners meeting Silver expressed some of the
issues the league could face.
"Even if the NBA were to move in essence blindly forward and
say we'll play our All-Star Game regardless of the state of the
law in North Carolina, we're impacted by the entertainment
community because of the performers that appear at our All-Star
Game," Silver said.
"We have hundreds of vendors that supply services, thousands
of guests coming to North Carolina for our All-Star Game and
I've heard from many of those constituents, many CEOs of those
companies have already been outspoken about this law."
Silver also said the NBA's decision not to give North
Carolina an ultimatum was not a show of support for the law.
"The message is not that somehow the current state of
affairs is OK for the league. Let me be clear, the current state
of the law is problematic for the NBA," said Silver.
"We're better off in many ways behind close doors, working
towards what should be the appropriate resolution, which is a
change in the law."