clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

McDonald's All-American game staying in Chicago through 2015

The McDonald's All-America Game is staying at Chicago's United Center through 2015, as the fast food giant announced on Wednesday.

Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Further establishing the city as a basketball hotspot, McDonald's has announced that the McDonald's All-American Games will be played at Chicago's United Center for at least the next three years. The deal between the fast food giant and the arena also includes an option for 2016, so the premier prep basketball showcase could stay for even longer.

In the press release, the event's director, Douglas Freeland, spoke of his happiness with keeping the games in the Windy City:

This is a historic day for the McDonald's All American Games. Fans throughout the U.S. can now make Chicago their ‘destination' to see the greatest high school basketball players participate in this annual rite of passage.

When the games arrived to the United Center in 2011, Chicago basketball fans shattered the attendance record, and they continued to make their presence felt at the games this spring as well. Those two successes contributed to the building of the nation's largest Ronald McDonald House in downtown Chicago, which opened in June.

The 2013 McDonald's All-American Games, which should feature the usual array of elite high school athletes, tip off on Wednesday, April 3, at the United Center. Recent big names from Chicago that have appeared in the games include Bulls star Derrick Rose and 2012 NBA Draft top pick Anthony Davis.