The Phoenix Suns received another boost coming out of the All-Star break on Monday, with reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic that Phoenix will host the All-Star weekend festivities in 2027. A welcome addition to the already confirmed hosting of the WNBA's midseason exhibition this year as well.
Phoenix has not hosted the weekend since 2009, when former Suns' center Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant shared the All-Star MVP award. It was also recently reported that the requirements to host the event were changing after smaller markets hosting the last few games, but the NBA quickly pointed out these weren't mandatory to host.
Getting the chance to host the game for what will be the fourth time is no small feat, and owner Mat Ishbia deserves a ton of credit for making this happen.
Despite Phoenix in theory being an ideal place to play host - the weather in February is favorable and there are a bunch of amenities - actually making it happen in his first full year in charge is impressive. Even more so when you consider the next two All-Star games will take place in San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively.
Surely the league would have looked at moving back East again - the Milwaukee Bucks were rumored to be interested in hosting in 2027 or 2028 - but instead the festivities will head to The Valley. Which caps off a remarkable first season for Ishbia, which has seen him trade for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, as well as have the Phoenix Mercury host the WNBA equivalent later this year.
Caitlin Clark can be an immediate WNBA All-Star: Sue Bird https://t.co/YRGhVSUv6B pic.twitter.com/eFvnP4SI0o
— New York Post (@nypost) February 22, 2024
Lost in amongst all of this news recently, has been the fact the organization are finally getting a G League affiliate for the 2024-25 season. The importance of this cannot be understated, the Suns are the only franchise currently without a G League team, and it will make the movement of two-way players from one to the other more seamless as well.
It will also give head coach Frank Vogel the chance to work with a coaching staff down there, to try and ensure the type of basketball being played is consistent between both teams. That might seem insignificant - but if you're a player like Saben Lee or Udoka Azubuike constantly shuffling from one to the other - it helps when the plays and style of play don't change all that much between the two.
Surely a focal point of winning this bidding process for Ishbia was also the promise of Devin Booker being around to be a fantastic host superstar for the weekend in 2027 as well. That might seem like a long time down the road, but by that point there is a chance Booker has brought Phoenix their first ever NBA championship, and is an consensus top five player in the league.
The news also leaves the door open for the possibility of Kevin Durant being around to take part in the celebrations. By that point he will be 38-years-old, not to mention the fact he hits unrestricted free agency in 2026. But the prospect of having an in his prime Booker and a Hall of Fame talent like Durant playing hosts has to hold some appeal to the league too.
Finally this move continues to make Phoenix a destination market. It is not as big as Los Angeles, will always be in the shadow of Las Vegas and lags behind even Chicago as a legacy location. But the Suns continue to attract star players every so often to come to The Valley, and Ishbia continues to prove that he is an owner who is doing all he can to help Phoenix succeed on and off the court.