The All-Star events extend far beyond the sidelines of the basketball court and will engage kids of all ages. The last time the NBA brought its annual mid-season party to Houston was 2006 and 1989 before that. This event is good for the city on a number of fronts and Mayor Annise Parker is excited and proud to be Host In Chief. "We know how to do big sporting events, we do them very very well," says Mayor Parker. "We get nothing but compliments after the fact. The fact that the All-Star game has come back to Houston means that they had a good experience last time and know what we can do."