The Milwaukee Bucks are in the process of bidding to host the 2022 or 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
"NBA All-Star Weekend is a global event on a global stage, and the eyes of the world would be on Milwaukee," said the team's Senior Vice President of Communications, Barry Baum, in a statement on Tuesday.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for the City of Milwaukee and the city's economy," Baum also said.
VISIT Milwaukee Communications Director Kristin Settle said the economic impact of the NBA's All-Star Weekend on the city alone would be in the region of $100 million.
To put that number into perspective, the economic impact on the entire region of last summer's U.S. Open at Erin Hills was estimated at around $125 million, Settle said.
She said the NBA requires around 26,000 hotel rooms, which Milwaukee has.
Hosting NBA All-Star Weekend also calls for a sizable chunk of high-end hotel rooms. Settle said Milwaukee has some of those already and could add more by the time 2022 or 2023 rolls around.
"Milwaukee is booming with development right now, and in the next five years, that's only going to increase," Settle added.
Mayor Tom Barrett, who was at a meeting between the Bucks and NBA officials here in Milwaukee last month, said he doesn't expect hotel space to be a holdup.
"I am 100 percent confident we'll have adequate hotel rooms for the NBA All-Star Game," Barrett said.
He said Milwaukee is pitching the NBA on a brand new arena, as well as a booming downtown entertainment scene.
"There are a lot of exciting things happening in Milwaukee, and we want to share that not only with the NBA but with the entire nation," Barrett said.
The new Bucks arena is expected to open this fall, in time for the 2018-19 NBA season.
Baum said the bidding process is currently ongoing. There's no firm timeline on when NBA officials could announce the cities that will host the '22 and '23 All-Star Games.
