NBA Pulls All-Star Game From North Carolina Over 'Anti-LGBT' Law

The NBA has pulled its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carolina in the wake of the passage of a controversial measure that has been criticized as anti-LGBT.

"The NBA has decided to relocate the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte," the NBA told ABC News today in a statement, adding that it would "make an announcement on the new location of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in the coming weeks."

"Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change," the NBA said. "While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2."

The NBA's decision comes after North Carolina's General Assembly failed to repeal HB2 during its last session of the year earlier this month.

HB2 prohibits most transgender people from accessing bathrooms in government offices and schools that correspond to the gender with which they identify. It also bars local municipalities from creating their own rules prohibiting discrimination in public places based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Since lawmakers weren't scheduled to reconvene until January of next year -- and the All-Star Game was scheduled to happen in February -- the NBA faced increasing pressure over the past few weeks to officially move the game.

Two weeks ago, technology industry leaders sent a letter to NBA Commission Adam Silver and urged him to move the upcoming game out of North Carolina, according to The Associated Press. The letter was signed by executives from famous companies including Google, Reddit, Paypal, Lyft and Pinterest.

"If the NBA holds events in North Carolina while HB2 remains law, players, employees, and fans will be at risk of discrimination - and that's wrong," read the letter obtained by the AP. "The NBA has nothing to lose by taking a stand alongside hundreds of other companies and showing support for its LGBTQ players, employees, and fans."

Though North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory issued an executive order in April that he said provided "new protections" and "clarified" HB2, many LGBTQ+ advocates denounced the move as a deflective measure that didn't address the bulk of their concerns with HB2.

McCrory's office did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment on the NBA's decision.