When Indianapolis hosted the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, despite the frigid temperatures, fans and players raved about the city’s organization, accessibility and overall atmosphere.
Fast forward to 2025 in San Francisco, and many attendees have drawn comparisons.
For NBA fans like Ron Taylor, who attended both NBA All-Star Weekends, the difference was obvious.
“When comparing All-Star Weekend in San Francisco to Indy, the difference was night and day,” Taylor told the Indianapolis Recorder. “The Indy experience was way better. It is not even close.”
One of the most celebrated aspects of Indianapolis’ All-Star Weekend was its compact and walkable layout.
“Everything was so close together,” Taylor said. “You could just walk from one place to the next and get to places very quickly and easily. It was very well organized.”
San Francisco, however, proved to be a logistical challenge.
“Everything was like a 30-minute walk apart,” Taylor said. “If you wanted to go to All-Star Saturday Night but were at NBA Crossover all day, it was a 30-minute walk or an Uber or a bus ride to get over to Chase Center. You couldn’t just hop over like you could in Indianapolis.”
Pacers fan Damon Fields, Indianapolis, echoed Taylor’s sentiments surrounding walkability.
“The city of Indianapolis is literally designed to host any and everything,” Fields told the Indianapolis Recorder.
For visitors, this lack of walkability resulted in frustration and fatigue. Taylor said by the end of the weekend, his legs my legs were on fire.
“It was just a completely different experience,” he said.
NBA All-Star Weekend is about more than just the game; it is an opportunity for fans to experience interactive events, meet players and collect exclusive memorabilia.
In this regard, Indianapolis again received higher marks.
“The crossover event in San Francisco, which is the main event for fans, had about half the activations as it did in Indy,” Taylor told the Indianapolis Recorder.
The self-proclaimed Denver Nuggets superfan added that the giveaways in San Francisco were “nowhere near as cool” as the rewards in Indy.
One reward Taylor recalled was how Indianapolis created a custom NBA ID playing card in a protective sleeve, a one-of-a-kind gift many fans still cherish.
“It (NBA All-Star in Indianapolis) felt official and really well-done,” Taylor said. “In San Francisco, they had something similar, but instead of a playing card, it was just a postcard of yourself. I mean, it’s unique, but it’s just not the same.”
Lines were also a major drawback in San Francisco. Taylor recounted how meeting NBA players was significantly easier in Indianapolis.
“I met Myles Turner last year with maybe a 15- to 30-minute wait,” he said. “In San Francisco, if you wanted to meet a player, you had to wait two hours. I wasn’t about to do that.”
One of the most exciting innovations from the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis was the introduction of an LED court, which dynamically changed its visuals and enhanced fan engagement. To the disappointment of many, it was nowhere to be found in The Bay.
“As somebody who went to both 2024 and 2025 All-Star Saturday Nights, I was really looking forward to seeing the LED court again,” Taylor said. “They didn’t use it at all for anything in All-Star Weekend. I was under the impression they spent a ton of money on that.”
While the NBA never revealed official numbers of the LED court, similar LED floors range from $800,000 to $2.5 million.
While Taylor acknowledged that logistical issues might have prevented its use, he couldn’t help but feel let down.
“It wasn’t the biggest deal, but it was something unique I was looking forward to,” Taylor said. “And San Francisco just didn’t deliver.”
Beyond the event’s logistics, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game faced another problem: It was one of the least-watched games in history. Despite implementing a new multi-team format, viewership ranked as the second lowest ever recorded for an All-Star Game.
Taylor surmised the experience:
“Overall, I just had a better time in Indy. Things ran smoother, events were easier to get to and it just felt more accessible and organized. In San Francisco, it felt like you had to plan everything ahead of time or you would miss out.”
As the NBA prepares for future All-Star Weekends, with the 2026 edition set for Los Angeles at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome, fans like Taylor hope organizers will learn from the successes of Indianapolis.
“If they can combine Indy’s organization with San Francisco’s bigger brand activations, they’ll have something special,” he said. “But right now, if you ask me who did it better? Indy, without a doubt.”
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
