INDIANAPOLIS — On Thursday, NBA executives came to downtown Indianapolis to help install a massive All-Star graphic on the JW Marriott.
NBA Senior Vice President Joseph Graziano scaled the hotel with the Sport Graphics crew to see the installation up close.
The nine-story graphic will include the Indiana Pacers' own Tyrese Haliburton throwing an alley-oop to himself, and the ball will be a giant QR code.
Graziano said the QR code will be used as a “fan engagement tool.”
“The idea around this was to create the most fan-first All-Star of all time, and so what does that really mean? It means more fan insights and more fan access,” Graziano said.
For 12 nights, starting Feb. 8 at 5 p.m., the NBA is going to drop a piece of content.
That content will take fans behind the scenes to showcase stories and places with celebrities, artists, players and NBA executives.
Then, the NBA will reward one fan with a prize.
“They are types of prizes that we never before delivered to our fans, and they are only going to come together through the JW,” Graziano said.
Some of the prizes include a golden ticket, allowing a fan to come to any NBA event over the next year. There will also be catered suites with celebrity and player appearances. The Pacers are also giving away two season tickets for the rest of the season.
You can start scanning the code on Feb. 2 to register. Then on Feb. 8, there will be a new code each night throughout All-Star Weekend.
“For our fans, you are going to want to enter every single day to give yourself the opportunity to win these prizes,” Graziano said.
Locally-owned Sport Graphics is the company behind dozens of installations on the hotel over the last 20 years. They also do graphics in other cities for NBA All-Star Weekend.
However, this is one of the largest graphics they have done in their hometown, with the March Madness bracket still holding the record.
“No other city has a canvas like this that is 400 feet of just raw windows, so it’s great to be able to do this in our hometown, and this is one of the larger ones that we have done,” said Jim Caudill, vice president of Sport Graphics.
It spans about 140 feet wide and about 100 feet tall, and will wrap around the other side. It takes about eight or nine days to install. The crew hopes to finish by the beginning of next week, depending on the weather.
“Doing an event in Indy is pretty spectacular, and it’s fun for us when the city gets behind us,” Caudill said.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game festivities in Indianapolis are set for Feb. 16-18 with events at Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Indiana Convention Center.
You can find a list of events here.