Source:www.jimippolito.com

The NBA All Star game is Sunday, February 18, in Las Vegas, but the action starts on Friday, February 16.

This is the only sports all star game worth watching, IMHO, because NBA players play to win, not just to gain accolades from the fans for merely showing up. These guys are highly competitive whether they're playing for their respective NBA teams or in a pick up game.

Getting the NBA All Star game for Las Vegas was quite a coup for Mayor Oscar Goodman who swears Las Vegas will have an NBA team here before his term is up.

The Mayor has been trying for years to attract a major sports franchise to Las Vegas but the fact that sports gambling is permitted here has been a stumbling block so we'll see just what Oscar has up his sleeve.

Here's the link to the official NBA All Star webpage.

This link will provide information about one of my favorite All Star Weekend activities, the Slam Dunk contest. Everyone's favorite, michael jordan, will be one of the judges this year.

In order to host the game the sports books here have had to suspend betting on the game but here's an interesting article about gambling on the NBA All Star game and other games of its ilk.

The NBA All Star Dance Team will be in attendance and I hope the girls will be given their fair share of TV exposure.

Retired NBA great Charles Barkley was in Las Vegas last weekend and won $700.000.00 playing Blackjack, and said he had the winner for the Super Bowl as well.

Don't get too excited though, he has left more than that in Vegas on previous visits.

Sir Charles never did anything in a small way.

Here's an article about what's happening in Las Vegas in preparation for the game.

Las Vegas has always been a town of basketball fanatics and the local UNLV team is still followed closely even though the glory days of Coach Tarkanian and appearances in the NCAA Tournament are long gone.

The All Star game is creating quite a buzz among basketball fans and bettors who just might find a way to place a wager, so perhaps it will signal the start of a new era for Las Vegas.

I snapped that picture a few days ago from the corner of Tropicana and The Strip and as you can see that's a pretty monumentally sized advertisement.