Thanks to cooperation from the Dallas Cowboys, once-reluctant Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will finally bring the NBA’s All-Star Weekend back to North Texas in 2010.
The Dallas Mavericks and Cowboys will make the official announcement at 4 p.m. Thursday to Mavs fans who gather early at Victory Plaza outside the American Airlines Center, Cuban said via email.The Mavs then open the regular season at 7 p.m. against the Houston Rockets. The All-Star Game will be played at the Cowboys' new football stadium in Arlington. Other events, such as the 3-point shootout and dunk contest, will be at the American Airlines Center, with ancillary events like the NBA Fan Jam being held at other Dallas venues. In May it became known that the two franchises were working together with the NBA to make the event happen. Cuban had previously rejected the idea of hosting the All-Star Game at American Airlines Center because the NBA secures the majority of tickets and Cuban didn’t want to shut out season-ticket holders.“I just wanted to find a place that could hold our season ticketholders and visitors for an All-Star Game,” Cuban said in May when he confirmed that a joint venture with the Cowboys was in play.The Cowboys’ new stadium, scheduled to open in 2009, will accommodate the NBA and Cuban.It won’t be the first time the NBA’s All-Star Game will be held at a football stadium. The Pontiac Silverdome, the Hoosier Dome, the Kingdome, the Astrodome and the Alamodome have been previous sites.The Mavs last hosted All-Star Weekend in 1986 at Reunion Arena. This season’s game is being held in Phoenix.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
