The NBA have announced that the 2016 NBA All-Star Game will be held in Toronto.

It will be the first time that the city has hosted the annual showpiece, which includes the celebrity game, the slam dunk contest and the traditional main event between the Eastern and Western Conferences.

"We are thrilled that Toronto is hosting our first NBA All-Star Game outside the United States," Adam Silver, deputy commissioner of the NBA, told reporters.

"As the site of the first game ever in the NBA, Toronto is an ideal location for this global basketball celebration."

The game will take place at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Raptors.