SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — For the past few days, San Francisco was the center of the basketball universe. It was the first time in 25 years NBA All-Star weekend was in the Bay Area.
Coming into the weekend, there were doubts about how San Francisco would fare as the host city — most notably from TNT analyst Charles Barkley. However, the NBA legend’s thoughts about the city might have changed upon making a six-figure donation to a local nonprofit. After All-Star weekend, Barkley was not only the prominent figure to have good things to say about San Francisco.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver even went as far as to say the city is going through a “renaissance,” adding that the city is “turning the corner.”
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Silver said he spent time with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie at several events throughout the past few days in San Francisco.
“There really is a sense of optimism in this community right now,” Silver said in a clip posted on Lurie’s X account. “Frankly, I felt it all the way in New York before I got here. I think the national media is covering the renaissance we’re seeing here in San Francisco… I’ve sensed more energy these last several days here than I’ve experienced in a long time.”
Silver added that under Lurie’s leadership, he believes San Francisco is headed in the right direction. The commissioner did acknowledge former Mayor London Breed for her work as she was “instrumental” in bringing the All-Star game to San Francisco.
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Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver held a press conference at Chase Center on 2025 NBA All-Star weekend in San Francisco, California, United States on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Lurie said he met with NBA owners and business leaders who all had good things to say about The City by The Bay.
“Business leaders are here; NBA owners are here,” Lurie told reporters Sunday night inside the Chase Center for the 74th NBA All-Star Game. “They’re saying ‘oh, your city looks good.’ There’s this sense of optimism and energy in the city that they haven’t seen for years. They’ve all said that to me all weekend long. It’s been a great weekend for us to show off and tell the world that San Francisco is on the rise.”
NBA players also had some good things to say about San Francisco during their few days here, including Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. who called the city “beautiful.” The two-time NBA All-Star and 2025 Defensive Player of the Year prefaced the weather as a caveat.
“When the weather is nice and allowing, parks are great,” Jackson Jr. told KRON4 during an NBA 2K event in Union Square Friday. “A lot of people, a lot of places to see… but it’s a beautiful city. It’s a beautiful place.”
San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama said he felt the excitement in San Francisco for the festivities.
“Seeing all that energy I feel like it’s really different even from last year,” said Wembanyama, 21, who was selected to his first NBA All-Star team but was also in Indiana for last year’s event. “It feels like the whole city is vibing around the NBA right now.”
NBA All-Star weekend wasn’t the only major event to take place in San Francisco this week. The world-renowned Lunar New Year Parade took place Saturday in downtown.
“It’s been a slam dunk,” Lurie said of the events in San Francisco. “We’ve kept people safe. We’re able to have the Lunar New Year parade and the dunk contest — two really global events in one night. We pulled it off.”
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