The official tip-off to the NBA All-Star weekend at Chase Center is underway, but for organizers, the big game weekend is about so much more.
"Let’s have some fun, and let’s start it tonight," said Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Preparations got underway Wednesday at Thrive City as San Francisco tries to rewrite the negative reputation surrounding it and dreams big for future sporting events in the region.
Lurie said the city is ready to shine.
"We get the images shown across 214 countries ... so it’s everything for a city like San Francisco to have those images," Lurie said. "We’re going to pull this weekend off, and people will say, ‘OK. We got to be in San Francisco again.'"
The mayor has been working with Zaileen Janmohamed, president and CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, to help make it a smooth experience over the weekend.
Janmohames said with this weekend's game and the World Cup and Super Bowl slated to be at Levi's Stadium next year, there should be an economic boost to the Bay Area.
"All three events will allow for the economic impact of $1.4 billion, build 13,000 jobs, 400,000 hotel rooms [and] the tourism impact that comes across those three events," she said.
The organization announced that it started a foundation to continue to work for major sporting events beyond those already in the works. It's a slam drunk, according to Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.
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"You only see the bad stuff that gets amplified, so it’s really nice when the press, the media, everyone who comes experience the great things can also show that off," Yamaguchi said.
This weekend, the San Francisco Police Department and Sheriff's Office are stepping up visibility patrols, in part due to the Chinese Lunar New Year parade that will kick off around the same time as the NBA All-Star Game tip-off.
