What do you do with an empty, hurricane-damaged 26-story office tower? Well, if the NBA All-Star game is just across the street, complete with days of national media attention, try using it for a billboard.

That's what Adidas is doing with New Orleans Centre, dropping an 18-story banner that proclaims "Basketball is a Brotherhood" -- the theme of an advertising campaign by the athletic apparel company. It will be hard to miss during All-Star week leading to the Feb. 17 game at the nearby New Orleans Arena.

The Centre won't be the only building converted into a billboard by Adidas.

"It's part of our advertising and brand program for All-Star weekend," said Adidas spokesman Travis Gonzolez.

Adidas has been using the "Basketball is a Brotherhood" theme in a multimedia campaign that, unlike typical ads centered around one athlete, emphasizes the team nature of the sport.

Gonzolez said other buildings would be draped around the city, including some in the French Quarter. "We're going to have a big presence that week," he said.

New Orleans Centre was built in the late 1980s and once was home to retailer Macy's as well as offices and a shopping mall.

Hurricane Katrina damaged the structure in August 2005 and it has gone largely unused since then. Cincinnati-based Macy's announced it would not reopen its store there, though the company is building a new one in suburban Metairie.

The tower stood with boards over broken windows for more than a year after Katrina. The boards are gone and some repairs have been made, but the building has remained a thorn to tourism interests trying to send the message the city is up and running. A nearby Hyatt hotel also has not reopened.

Across the street are the Louisiana Superdome and the New Orleans Arena, which underwent a combined $200 million in renovations after the storm.

So far, no one has figured out what to do with the Centre.

In 2006, the state and city announced a $700 million plan that would have moved New Orleans City Hall into the building and created a public entertainment park, but the idea was forgotten almost as quickly as it was proposed.

Last October, the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which operates the Superdome and the arena, said the state was studying the possibility of buying the Centre and turning it into a complex of government offices and entertainment and meeting venues.

No potential purchase price has been revealed, but the district has been authorized to make a $50,000 deposit if a firm offer can be reached with the Centre's owner, Hertz Investment Group of Santa Monica, Calif. A final decision on a possible deal would be made by Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Gonzolez said he didn't know how much the banner cost since it's part of an ongoing ad campaign.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)