Miami is set to host NBA All-Star Weekend in 2028, bringing the league's midseason showcase back to the city for the first time since 1990. The All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night are both expected to land at Kaseya Center, with additional events spread across the Miami Beach Convention Center and Watsco Center on the University of Miami campus.
A source confirmed the news to the Miami Herald, though the pick has not been officially announced. According to a separate report from The Athletic, the NBA is still finalizing Miami as the host city, and the decision had not been made formal as of the latest reporting. The league is reportedly planning a Nov. 30 event to announce Miami as the site, though that date is described as slightly fluid, per an AP source cited by News4JAX.
Notably, the Miami Heat never put in a bid to host the 2028 weekend. Instead, the NBA approached the team about taking it on, according to the Herald's reporting. The Heat have reportedly been reluctant to aggressively pursue hosting duties in past years, and the report notes that All-Star Weekend tickets, which are controlled entirely by the league, don't prioritize Heat season-ticket holders, partners or local fans — the event typically draws crowds from well beyond the host city anyway.
Why Miami Hasn't Hosted Since 1990
Miami's long gap stems from a scheduling conflict that has dogged the city for decades. Per the Herald's reporting, the Miami International Boat Show — which uses the Miami Beach Convention Center and many area hotel rooms — has traditionally occupied Presidents' Day weekend, the same slot the NBA has long preferred for All-Star Weekend. The Athletic similarly notes that the boat show has been held annually on Presidents' Day weekend for years, directly overlapping with the league's preferred dates.
That logjam appears to be breaking. A source told the Herald that the boat show will be moving to a different weekend in 2028, freeing up Presidents' Day for the NBA. Presidents' Day Weekend in 2028 falls on Feb. 21, meaning All-Star Saturday Night would land on Feb. 19 and the All-Star Game itself on Feb. 20, according to the same report.
Adding to the scheduling shuffle, the NFL has moved the 2027 Super Bowl to Presidents' Day weekend, a change believed to be a one-off rather than a permanent shift, the Herald reports. The league has otherwise been reluctant to move All-Star Weekend off its usual calendar slot in most years. Kaseya Center also typically hosts Premio Lo Nuestro the week after Presidents' Day weekend, adding another layer to the venue's crowded February schedule.
What Else Is Planned for the Weekend
Beyond the marquee game and Saturday Night showcase, the 2028 slate is expected to include the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, the Rising Stars event, NBA All-Star Media Day, the G League Up Next Game and NBA Crossover — described as a multi-day interactive fan festival. Ticket information for the weekend will be announced at a later date, the Herald's report states.
Miami's only previous turn hosting came in 1990, when the All-Star Game was played at the old Miami Arena. Since then, the league has rotated the event through cities including Chicago in 2020, Cleveland in 2022, Salt Lake City in 2023 and Indianapolis in 2024, before Phoenix takes its turn in 2027. Phoenix is scheduled to host from Feb. 19-21 that year, with the game set for the Suns' Mortgage Matchup Center, according to the NBA's own future-locations listing.
What a Host City Can Expect
If Indianapolis's 2024 turn is any guide, the economic stakes for a host city are significant. A league- and Pacers-commissioned study found that weekend generated more than $400 million in economic value for central Indiana, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. That same study put direct and indirect spending at $290.7 million, with more than $112.6 million in earned media value, while a separate account from the Indianapolis Star cited $290 million in economic revenue and $112 million in media exposure for that weekend. More than 81,000 people from 44 states and 55 countries attended, and the city and Pacers Sports & Entertainment spent roughly $13 million to host it, per the same IBJ report.
Talk of Miami landing a future All-Star Weekend isn't entirely new. Heat star Bam Adebayo, a three-time All-Star, said in 2024 that Miami fans deserved to host an All-Star Game, while Paul George said that year he'd prefer the event not be held in cold-weather cities. The Herald reported in February 2024 that the Heat and NBA had held recent dialogue about Miami hosting a future weekend, though those talks had not produced much progress at the time. Now, nearly three years later, that long-simmering possibility looks set to become reality.
