The transformation of Vivint Arena for the 2023 All-Star Weekend festivities is nearly complete.
Since the Jazz last played at the arena on Feb. 8 before embarking on a four-game road trip ahead of the All-Star break, crews have been hard at work getting Vivint Arena ready for the three All-Star events held there — the Rising Stars game, All-Star Saturday and the All-Star Game.
Seats behind one of the baskets have been removed to make way for a 4,000-square-foot stage with giant screens (over 14 million pixels) in the background. Players in the three events will be introduced on the stage, and it will also be used on Sunday for a pregame concert by Utah resident and superstar rapper Post Malone. Grammy-winning artists Burna Boy and Rema, alongside Tems, will perform a halftime concert.
A custom court, featuring the Utah All-Star Weekend logo and mountains (a nod to Utah’s mountain ranges and the mountains jersey the Jazz wore in their glory years) is accented in black, white and bright yellow — the franchise’s new colors.
From wrapping the arena exterior with giant images of star players to parking a Kia car on the court as an obstacle for the Skills Challenge to over 700 moving lights, it’s going to be an over-the-top extravaganza for the tens of thousands in the arena and those watching on TNT.
“This is a city that’s big-event ready,” said Joey Graziano, the NBA’s senior vice president of global business operations and global events.
At the media preview of the arena on Wednesday, a drone was being tested out above the court, possibly to add another camera angle to the broadcast.
Yep, it’s a lot different than the last time the All-Star Game was here in 1993.
“Now what we do at All-Star Weekend is we basically produce a concert and a basketball game three days in a row in two venues,” said Carlton Myers, the NBA’s head of live production and entertainment.
Though All-Star Saturday and All-Star Game tickets start at an eye-popping $699 — and that’s down from the $999 price tag for Saturday and $1,399 price tag for the All-Star Game earlier in the year — Jazz owner Ryan Smith hopes there’s something for everyone to go to during All-Star Weekend.
There are seven All-Star events that are $60 or under — NBA Ice Buckets (free), HBCU Classic ($10), G League Next Up Game ($15), NBA Crossover ($20 for kids 12 and under, $40 for adults), Celebrity Game (Ticketmaster Verified resale tickets from $20), All-Star Practice ($50) and Rising Stars game ($60).
“They are so concerned about making sure this event is available for Jazz fans,” said Graziano of Smith.
One of the most interesting new wrinkles this weekend is that the All-Star Game draft will be held on that giant stage just 30 minutes before game time.
At Saturday’s All-Star practice, the Eastern Conference will practice together as a team and the Western Conference will practice together as a team. On Sunday, there will be an East and West locker room before the game.
Then, team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will select their teams, live, a half-hour before tipoff.
That means two jerseys of each player have to be made, and after the teams are selected, go to the locker room of Team LeBron or Team Giannis.
The jerseys for the Rising Stars game and the All-Star Game have some local flavor.
A blue and black gradient jersey, which will be worn by Team LeBron, represents northern Utah and a starry night sky, while the red and yellow gradient jersey, which will be worn by Team Giannis, represents southern Utah and the red rock in that area.
The game shorts and warmup jackets features five stars to represent Utah’s five national parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion.
The Rising Stars jerseys feature “Rising Stars” text in a font that kind of resembles the “Jazz” script on the mountain jerseys in the late ’90s.
The four uniforms for the Rising Stars game call back to different eras in Jazz basketball — the yellow, purple and green uniform represents the jerseys the team wore from 1979-1996 (though it reminds me more of a Lakers uniform), a white, purple and teal uniform represents the jerseys the team wore from 1996-2004, a powder blue and navy uniform represents the jerseys the team wore from 2004-2010 and a black and yellow uniform represents the current jerseys.
For All-Star Saturday, each player will be wearing his NBA team’s “statement jersey” — for the Jazz, that’s the black jersey with yellow text and numbers the team has worn in quite a few game this season.
More Utah touches are included on the “money ball” for the 3-point Contest, which features Delicate Arch.
The arena is ready, Salt Lake City is ready, and Utah is ready to be on the national stage this weekend as NBA All-Star Weekend returns to the Beehive State.