LeBron James, Kobe Bryant

East Team's LeBron James of the Miami Heat is defended by West Team's Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

(Eric Gay)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission have submitted a bid to host the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Cavaliers Chief Executive Officer Len Komoroski and President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission David Gilbert both confirmed to Northeast Ohio Media Group that the bid has been placed.

Cleveland has gone through a transformation in recent years and is already primed to host some big-time events.

The return of LeBron James certainly helps, and in March for the first time the city will host the regional semifinals and finals of the 2015 NCAA basketball tournament. Cleveland also was awarded the Republican National Convention in 2016.

Komoroski said there's something special brewing in Northeast Ohio.

"You can just sense the momentum in this town," Komoroski told NEOMG. "There's incredible pride and enthusiasm. Having major events at The Q of this magnitude and being able to handle them is a defining point for our community. It shows we are ready and capable at the highest level."

James spoke about the possibility of Cleveland securing the winning bid after Wednesday's shootaround. He would be happy for the city of Cleveland, but he could foresee ticket requests being problematic.

"It would be too much for me," he jokingly said. "I think it would be great for us to host it but hopefully I'm no good in that year we get it. Family and friends, I don't want it. Too much."

New York is hosting the NBA All-Star Game in 2015, followed by Toronto in 2016, leaving vacant slots in 2017 and 2018. Based on recent studies of other cities, Gilbert estimates the city of Cleveland would experience an economic impact of approximately $100 million from the game.

The last time Cleveland held the All-Star Game was 1997. However, the downtown infrastructure has since grown dramatically and features many more quality hotels and restaurants.

In 2007, the downtown area consisted of approximately 2,700 hotel rooms. In 2016, that number will skyrocket to 5,200. Gilbert says nine more hotels in the downtown area will be constructed before 2018.

The new Cleveland Convention Center would serve as the home for All-Star Jam Session in addition to the Celebrity Game and the NBA D-League All-Star Game.

"We're 100 percent sure we can host All-Star Weekend. We hope the NBA recognizes that this is a new city with new energy and a new attitude," Gilbert said. "This city is ready for prime time."

The Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets have placed bids for 2018 as well. The Cavaliers anticipate an official ruling within the first quarter of 2015.

"This is a major shift to our entire image," Komoroski said. "We're changing the narrative of Cleveland nationally and internationally. The All-Star Game would be a great opportunity to showcase our community to the world. This is truly a destination city."

Cleveland will host the NCAA Division I Wresting Championships in 2018.

NBA ALL-STAR 2014 DIGITAL AND VIEWING NUMBERS:

NBA All-Star 2014 on ESPN and TNT reached 21.7 million unique viewers across the Celebrity Game, Rising Stars Challenge, All-Star Saturday Night and the All-Star Game.

The 2014 NBA All-Star Game on TNT garnered 7.5 million viewers and a 5.1 coverage rating.

Viewers watched an average of 110 minutes of NBA All-Star coverage, the highest ever recorded.

The All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night saw close to four million tweets, capturing 51 percent of total TV tweets over the two days.

The NBA All-Star game was the most tweeted game during the NBA regular season with nearly 2.3 million tweets.

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