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8p9s Roundtable: Victor Oladipo is clearly an All-Star for the Indiana Pacers

By Jonathan Matthes

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 23: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 23: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Larry Bird of the Indiana Pacers
NEW YORK – APRIL 24: President of Basketball Larry Bird of the Indiana Pacers at the wheel of a specially themed IndyCar, Pacers Sports /

Indianapolis was announced as the host city for the 2021 All-Star game, it’s first since 1985, what’s it mean to the city?

Furr: Lots of people will talk about the symbolism and the greater meaning to the city’s fans and the revival of Pacers basketball in Indianapolis and on and on.

To me, I don’t think there’s a deeper meaning. It will be a nice financial boon to the city (and the Simons), and a fun event if the Pacers have an All-Star that year. Indianapolis does events well — the Super Bowl is a testament to that — and it might show some fans and players that Indy is actually pretty cool (shut up, it’s actually pretty cool), but on the whole, I’d say it means very little to the city.

Matthes: Welcome to the party NBA! We’ve hosted everything, or are well on our way to host everything. Just look at that event calendar or 2021: FEB: NBA All-Star Game. April: Men’s Final Four. May: Pacers Playoffs and the Indy 500. DEC: Big Ten Championship Games. JAN: College Football Championship Game.

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Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers /

Behind the Buck Pass

  • NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers Hoops Habit
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    • Isn’t that awesome? I just think it’s further confirmation of how great a city Indianapolis is.

    Eggers: It’s being thrown into a larger pool of major sporting events that are being hosted between 2020-2022 (National College Football Championship, Final Four, Big Ten Championship, etc.) but it’s important to see professional basketball returning to the forefront of the city’s agenda.

    The years post-Brawl haven’t been kind to the Pacers, as the emergence of the Colts’ success and the state of college basketball in Indiana have turned fans away from Bankers Life. With the Colts and Hoosiers slipping, the Pacers have a real opportunity to gain back the favor of the city.

    Hopefully, this All-Star game is a big step towards bringing the team back as a local as well as a national presence.

    Renz: As a Pacers fan (barely) under 30, I’m complaining often about how the team gets overlooked by the NBA at large. But the image of Larry on the mean streets of Indianapolis in an Indy car was NOT getting overlooked.

    There are rumors the NBA will invite Larry to participate in every future 3-point contest, but only if he shoots from a seated position inside the Indy car.

    Who’s coming in second?

    East: In a time where the stadium was call “Market Square Arena”, the city got 43,000+ people to come attend an all-star game filled with future Hall Of Famers.

    Indy hasn’t had a huge NBA presence throughout the years, so getting that many people to come here and get attached to the city would be massive.

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