The Utah Jazz have submitted a formal bid to host the 2022 or 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

Vivint Smart Home Arena recently underwent an extensive series of renovations. 

“On behalf of the State of Utah, we are committed to the hard work of bringing the NBA All-Star Game to Salt Lake City,” said Gov. Gary R. Herbert. “We know this about the Miller family, Utah Jazz organization, and our state -- the NBA All-Star Game will be above the rim and the NBA family will fall in love again with the great people of our state.”

“We are very excited and well prepared to bring back the NBA All-Star Game to Vivint Smart Home Arena,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “We are a vibrant, diverse and culturally rich community that knows how to celebrate the experience of sport. Our 2002 Olympic Winter Games remain the standard against which all other Olympic Winter Games are measured." 

The 2023 All-Star Weekend would be the 30th anniversary of the 1993 game in Salt Lake City when Karl Malone and John Stockton were the co-MVPs.

“The 1993 NBA All-Star Game was memorable for many reasons. Our new arena was just two years old, and we were so proud to welcome the NBA family into our new home,” said Greg Miller, NBA Board of Governors member. “It is with great excitement and anticipation that we now invite the NBA to return this celebration of our sport back to Salt Lake City for a game elevated.” 

The 2018 NBA All-Star Game had a 5.1 overnight rating on TNT and TBS, according to Sports Business Daily.

Last year's game also drew a 5.1 rating, which was down from a 5.4 in 2016.

The 5.1 is the highest for the All-Star Game in a Winter Olympic year since 2002. The game that year was on NBC and had a direct lead-in from their coverage of the Olympics.

The All-Star Game had the same overnight as NASCAR’s Daytona 500 earlier in the day.

Compared to other All-Star Games, Sunday’s matchup trailed last month’s Pro Bowl on ESPN and ABC (5.9) and last year’s MLB All-Star Game on FOX (6.5).

Adam Silver said he was pleased with the quality of the play in the All-Star Game with the two captain format and believed that next year's draft would be televised.

"I thought it was incredible. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of the players," Silver said.

"When we sat with the union and we came up with this format, we all agreed, let's not turn something that's 100 percent positive into a potential negative to any player," Silver said. "But then ... maybe we're overly conservative, because then we came out of there, and the players were, 'We can take it. We're All-Stars. Let's have a draft.' So it sounds like we're going to have a televised draft next year."

Silver, Chris Paul and Michele Roberts came up with the idea of the draft last year.

Donovan Mitchell defeated Larry Nance Jr. to win the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest.

Donovan Mitchell with a Vince Carter homage. pic.twitter.com/no8vWRwgSK

— RealGM (@RealGM) February 18, 2018

Nance received a 50 on his final dunk with a double tap off the backboard.

Larry Nance Jr. with a double tap off the glass for a 50. pic.twitter.com/yNKOOllRxC

— RealGM (@RealGM) February 18, 2018

But Mitchell had also received a 50 on his first dunk.

Donovan Mitchell with another 50 catching it low for the dunk. pic.twitter.com/BydtG4g8Gt

— RealGM (@RealGM) February 18, 2018

LaMarcus Aldridge and Al Horford were the final selections by LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the 2018 NBA All-Star draft.

"I'm not a flashy player," Aldridge said. "That's OK.

"We're all All-Stars, so, at the end of the day, we should be thankful to be here. Picked first, picked last, it doesn't matter. We're all competitive, too. It won't be the easiest thing to be picked last, but at the end of the day, you're just happy to be here."

Team LeBron held the first and final picks in the draft.

Said Curry: "I think the draft itself would be amazing on TV just to hear the back-and-forth between the captains and see how the teams fill out. But we have to protect our guys' [dignity]. That's the biggest thing."

The Sacramento Kings are finalizing a bid for the NBA All-Star Game in either 2022 or 2023.

Vivek Ranadive and the city of Sacramento will present its bid on Feb. 23.

“Golden 1 Center has been a great spark for the city and building on that momentum, we have assembled an unprecedented plan to host a global celebration of basketball at the All-Star Game in Sacramento,” Ranadive said in a written statement.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told The Sacramento Bee in October 2016 that the league was determined to bring the All-Star Game to Sacramento. The biggest issue impacting Sacramento, and several other NBA cities, is the lack of hotel rooms.

The 250-room Sawyer Hotel recently opened next to Golden 1 Center, the city has plans for a 350-room hotel next to the Sacramento Convention Center and work should begin soon on a 170-room Hyatt Centric boutique hotel on Seventh Street downtown. 

Kemba Walker has been named the injury replacement on the All-Star team to Kristaps Porzingis.

Porzingis is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Walker is averaging 22.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 35.0 minutes per game this season for the Hornets.

Walker was also an All-Star during the 16-17 season.

Steve Kerr sees the Warriors as suffering from fatigue as the All-Star break is two weeks away.

The All-Star Game is later this year in addition to the regular season starting earlier.

"Hell yeah," Kerr said. "Guys are dying to get to the All-Star break. We're limping to the finish line of the All-Star break. But we've got to fight through it to the break and then we need to get the hell away from each other and go sit on a beach and relax and then we'll be in great shape."

The Warriors have six more games before the All-Star break.

"I was hoping you were going to say [the All-Star Game is] tomorrow," Kerr joked.

"... It's painful obviously that our guys are mentally fried right now," Kerr said. "So it's a good job to just get a win. ... Our guys are tired mentally, emotionally. So we just got to fight through, get to the break and rejuvenate."

Said Green: "I think every team in the NBA is looking at the All-Star break, wishing it was tomorrow. It's that time of year. You're right there, you know it's right there, but yet, you just can't quite grab it. So I think everybody is looking forward to that, but you just got to win."

Aaron Gordon, Larry Nance Jr., Dennis Smith Jr. and Victor Oladipo have been selected to participate in the 2018 Slam Dunk contest.

Gordon was the runner-up in 2016 to Zach LaVine.

Nance's father, Larry Nance, won the Slam Dunk contest in 1984.

Oladipo won the fan-voted Dunk of the Year in 16-17.

Goran Dragic has been named by Commissioner Adam Silver to the NBA All-Star Team in replacement of injured Kevin Love.

Dragic, who will be making his first NBA All-Star appearance, will be the eighth player in franchise history to earn NBA All-Star honors. He also becomes the first player from Slovenia to earn the honor. 

Dragic, a two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week honoree and just one of only four players to earn the award multiple times this season, has appeared in 46 games (all starts) this season averaging a team-high 17.0 points and a team-high 4.8 assists while shooting 43.7 percent from the field.