NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix is getting a new creative team behind the scenes. The league announced Thursday that Fanatics Studios will be its multiyear creative and event production partner for All-Star, starting with the 2027 event at Mortgage Matchup Center, home of the Phoenix Suns.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the deal on X on Thursday, saying the partnership would cover creative approaches for competitions, in-arena entertainment and celebrity and athlete attendance. The NBA confirmed it in an official release later that day.
According to the league, Fanatics Studios will work alongside the NBA and NBC Sports on the in-arena production of All-Star events and on developing new event programming. The two sides will also team up on original content in the lead-up to the weekend, aimed at bringing fans closer to the players and their stories. All-Star is entering its second year on NBC and Peacock.
Fanatics Studios is a joint venture between Fanatics and the entertainment company OBB, launched in January 2026. The NBA said OBB founder Michael D. Ratner, who serves as Fanatics Studios’ CEO, will be executive producer for the studio on All-Star. Its past projects include the 2026 ESPYS and the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
“NBA All-Star is one of those moments where sports and culture collide,” Ratner said in the announcement, adding that the goal is to “take some big swings and bring new ideas into the mix.”
Gregg Winik, the NBA’s president of content, said the league looks forward to building on what fans love about the weekend while finding new ways to evolve it.
Financial terms and the exact length of the deal were not disclosed. For the Valley, the news is another sign of the national spotlight headed to downtown Phoenix when the league’s biggest midseason party arrives in 2027.
Sources: NBA official release, Fanatics press release, ESPN’s Shams Charania on X and The Hollywood Reporter via RG.
Photo: “Sunset on the Hoop,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 public domain dedication. Generic image; not a photo of any player, team or event.
