2025 NBA All-Star Game: The New Format, Why It's Changing, and My Take

 

Photo From NBA.com

On Wednesday the NBA announced a new format for this year's 2025 All-Star game, which will be held at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Let’s explain how the format has changed, why these changes are being implemented, and I will give my take on the whole thing.

The Old Format

Before I break down the new format, let’s review the old format. For almost the entire existence of the All-Star game, two teams played one game which lasted as long as a normal NBA game, four 12-minute quarters. One team represented the best players in the Eastern Conference while the other represented the best of the Western Conference.

For a brief stint from 2018-2023, teams were not represented by conference. One player from each conference would act as a captain of that team, and each captain would go back and forth selecting which All-Stars they wanted representing their team. The duration of the game was the same, but the scoring structure had changed. The winner was decided by reaching a target score, which meant the game ended when a team reached a specific score. The fourth quarter had no time limit, and the first team to reach the leading team's score after three quarters, plus 24 extra points—honoring Kobe Bryant's final jersey number—won the game.

Last year, they returned to an Eastern vs. Western Conference matchup. The result was the highest-scoring game in All-Star history, with the East defeating the West 211-186.

The New Format

This year is a completely new look at this event. Instead of the traditional two-team, single-game format, this is now a four-team, three-game tournament that will take place on February 16th, the Sunday of All-Star weekend.

The number of total All-Stars remains the same at 24. The voting process does not change. NBA fans will account for 50% of the votes, NBA players will account for 25% of the votes, and the NBA media accounts for 25% of the votes.

Those 24 players will be on three teams, each made up of eight players. Rosters will be determined via a draft. The three people selected to draft this year are all members of TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew: Kenny, Shaq, and of course, Chuck.

The fourth team will be the winning team from the Rising Stars challenge that will take place on February 14th, opening night of All-Star weekend.

The coaching staff for these four teams will be determined based on which two teams have the best record in their respective conference. The coaching staffs of Milwaukee and Minnesota cannot be selected, as they coached last season. The head coaches from the East and West will each coach a team in the tournament. One assistant from each staff will take over as head coach for the other two teams.

The winner of each game will be the first team to reach 40 points or more.

The four teams in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a $1.8 million prize pool. Players on the winning team will each take home $125,000, while those on the second-place team will get $50,000 each. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will earn $25,000 each.

Why They Are Choosing To Change The Format

The entertainment value of All-Star weekend has completely plummeted, resulting in significant backlash from fans, which has drastically affected TV ratings.

The issue that the NBA can’t seem to shake is the lack of competitiveness in the All-Star game, specifically on the defensive end. Players seem more concerned about making an offensive play that might go viral on social media rather than putting in any effort at all on the defensive end.

This past All-Star game was the straw that broke the camel's back. The two teams combined to score 397 points. There were 186 three-point attempts made in that game, including a ton of half-court attempts. It was truly an unacceptable performance, and as a fan, I felt it was an insult to my intelligence of what I believe good basketball is.

My Thoughts

I personally do think these changes are going to affect the competitiveness of the All-Star game. I can see how you can make the argument that the Rising Stars team could possibly be playing with a chip on their shoulders because they have something to prove, but I think Adam Silver is missing the bigger picture.

The reality is players do not care about competing in the All-Star game because they have no incentive to do so. If you are able to make an NBA All-Star team, the odds are extremely high that you have a lucrative contract. The prize money of $125,000, $50,000, or $25,000 is chump change to these players.

If you really want to implement an effective change, you are going to have to make an attractive incentive for these players. If I were the NBA commissioner, I’d bring back the traditional Eastern vs. Western Conference format and borrow an idea from MLB: the winning conference would earn home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.

There are fewer things more valuable in the NBA than having home court advantage, and that fact becomes even more magnified in the playoffs. If that does not motivate players to compete in the All-Star game, I do not know what will.

Do you think the new format will make the All-Star game more competitive? Comment below.