New Orleans snares 2014 NBA All-Star Game

• Tweet

NEW ORLEANS, April 16 (UPI) -- The National Basketball Association will return to New Orleans for its 2014 All-Star Game, the league said Monday.

The game will be played on Feb. 16, 2014, a Sunday. It will be preceded by two days of festivities. New Orleans last played host for the game in 2008.

"There is no better place to celebrate and showcase the NBA than in New Orleans, a city with a rich tradition of hosting major events that is second-to-none," NBA commissioner David Stern said.

The game "will be a highlight for our city," said Tom Benson, who owns both the NBA's New Orleans Hornets and the NFL's Saints.

"I have always taken great pride in our city hosting Super Bowls," Benson said. " Don't think any city does it better than New Orleans."