'San Francisco is back': NBA All-Star tip-off party held at Chase Center

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pack San Francisco for NBA All-Star this weekend.

It's a critical moment for the city as they try to shake off the national "doom loop" narrative and show off to the world.

"San Francisco is open for business again, okay!"

That's the message from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie at Wednesday night's NBA All-Star tip-off event at Chase Center.

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"We need to have the eyes of the world look on us and say, oh yeah, San Francisco is back," said Lurie.

The Bay Area Host Committee organized this event. While the bigwigs were the ones who spoke about the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, perhaps the greatest and most well-known athlete here, was former Olympic gold medalist and Bay Area native Kristi Yamaguchi.

"Anytime you have an event where the world's best are collected in one area for one event, it's just massive," said Yamaguchi.

"And already we know that people from 34 different countries plan to come into the Bay Area to experience this week long of activities," said Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner and COO.

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And it's not just adults interested in what's happening in the Bay Area which not only includes the All-Star game, but next year's Super Bowl and World Cup. Young athletes are interested, too. Eleven-year-old Crissler Vasquez, who came to San Francisco from Guatemala, recited her poem about soccer.

"Six-thirty in the morning, it's gameday, I rush out of bed, can't wait to play," said Crissler, "Someday I might get fame, someday I might get old, someday you might know my name but right now, my dreams come true. I am soccer, I am a girl, I love playing the beautiful game. Thank you."

A standing ovation for that young superstar who seemed to inspire those here about the Bay Area.

"We've got to get people coming back from Asia, from Europe. We need people traveling here, shopping here, and we need more conventions here, and we're gonna pull this weekend off and people will say, 'We've got be in San Francisco again. We're coming back!" said Mayor Lurie.

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As to who will be at the actual NBA All-Star game this weekend.

"And will you be at the game Sunday?" asked ABC7 News reporter J.R. Stone to Yamaguchi.

"I don't have tickets, yet." replied Yamaguchi.

"They're expensive!" said Stone.

"Probably not, I'll be watching with the millions on TV," replied Yamaguchi with a smile.