A month after the NBA All-Star Game was held in 2006, Rockets CEO Tad Brown began talks about a return visit to Houston for the league’s showcase event.

When an opening in the bid process became available three to four years earlier than expected, Brown got the approval from Rockets owner Leslie Alexander to make a full-court press for the event.

“Mr. Alexander is the kind of guy, he wants to do it now,” Brown said. “We took an aggressive stance and really went after it.”

NBA commissioner David Stern announced Wednesday that the All-Star Game and weeklong festivities will return to Houston in 2013.

“Houston is a spectacular sports city, and for one week it will be the basketball capital of the world,” said Stern, who made the announcement, attended by city leaders and nearly a dozen former Rockets players, during a news conference at Toyota Center.

The three-day event will be Feb. 15-17. Among the events planned are the NBA Rising Stars Challenge and NBA All-Star Saturday night, which features the 3-point shooting contest and popular slam-dunk contest.

The NBA All-Star Jam Session, an interactive fan experience, will begin earlier in the week at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

An estimated 200,000 fans are expected to attend the three-day event, Rockets and NBA officials said.

The 2012 All-Star Game will be played Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla.

“We had an opportunity to really push and move our bid up,” Brown said. “The (2006) game came off so well, and they knew we wanted another one. So they said, ‘We’ve got one coming open in ’13. … If you guys really want to make an aggressive bid, now is the time to go.’ ”

Infrastructure in place

City officials estimate the economic impact on the region could be $100 million.

“Why Houston? Because Houston knows how to do major sporting events,” Mayor Annise Parker said in reference to Super Bowl XXXVIII, Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, NCAA Tournament South Regionals, the Final Four, the MLS All-Star Game and U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, all held here during the past decade.

Brown said the cooperation between local community leaders and an existing infrastructure — the close proximity of the convention center and available hotels — played into Houston’s favor.

“The infrastructure is already in place and has actually grown (since 2006),” Brown said.

This will mark the third time the NBA All-Star Game has been played in Houston. In 1989, Karl Malone was named MVP of the game at the Astrodome, which drew a then-record 44,735.

James MVP in 2006

The 2006 game featured a pair of Rockets, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, in the starting lineup. McGrady had a game-high 36 points for the Western Conference in a 122-120 loss.

LeBron James, then with the Cleveland Cavaliers, scored 29 points to become at 21 the youngest MVP.

The 2013 All-Star Game will coincide with the 10-year anniversary season of Toyota Center.

Parker promised “Southern charm and hospitality” for NBA fans.

“The fact that most recently (the NBA All-Star Game) was here in 2006 tells me we must have shown everybody a really good time to have you come back so quickly,” Parker said. “And don’t be a stranger. We want you back again after that. We’re not done in 2013, Mr. Commissioner.”

joseph.duarte@chron.com