INDIANAPOLIS — NBA All-Star Weekend was a success for downtown Indianapolis.
According to Pacers Sports & Entertainment, more than 190,000 people took part in weekend festivities Feb. 15-18.
The Indiana Pacers posted on social media Friday morning that it was the highest-attended All-Star Weekend in 14 years. The team also said events helped provide $3.5 million to youth, families and those in need across Indiana.
"Thanks to the best fans in the world, #NBAAllStar2024 in Indy was record-breaking, showcasing that basketball is not just a sport here; it's a way of life," the Pacers concluded in their post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Daniel Lopez, vice president of external relations and corporate communications for Pacers Sports and Entertainment, told 13News the final numbers and report on economic impact will likely come out in April or May.
According to Lopez, preliminary data projects a direct and indirect economic impact of about $295 million, with another $100 million of earned media value.
Lopez said a large percentage of the people who participated in All-Star Weekend festivities downtown came from outside of central Indiana.
Bradley Houser, co-founder of Eat Here, opened a pop-up restaurant in Circle Centre Mall inside of the old H&M store.
"There was just so much to do, so many opportunities for people to get connected to small business," Houser said.
Houser's business and others saw many of the thousands of people who hit the streets downtown during NBA All-Star Weekend.
"It was a bunch of foot traffic coming through,” Houser said. “Saturday, it was jam-packed with so many people coming in and out."
A host committee of nearly 400 people helped make the vision for the weekend a reality.
"I think it speaks to how fun of an event this is and how many things were going on,” Lopez said. “There were so many different events and activations, things to do that were taking place in the downtown. When we were leading up to this, we were talking about all the different elements to All-Star that make it unique, and I think that was on display."
Now, businesses are thinking of new ways to take on big events that come to the city.
"I think businesses kind of went into it with an expectation of, 'We are going to do what we can do and be most effective this weekend,'” Houser said. “I believe they were met."