February is here! For NBA fans, the arrival of the month brings with it anticipation for two things: Trades before the Feb 6th Deadline, and the All-Star Weekend. One is over, and the other is less than two weeks away! Providing a break from the continuous regular season matchups, the annual occasion brings with it a series of events, ranging from the three-point contest and the Slam Dunk contest to the All-Star Celebrity Game. The top featured event, however, has continued to remain the NBA All-Star game, which brings the best of the NBA together for a lively competition.
Over the last few years, criticism against the All-Star game has reportedly risen. The same soon reached the ears of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. In a statement back in November 2024, he said “We’re looking at other formats. I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.” Lo and behold, a new format was announced. Therefore, without any further ado, let us find out more about it.
What new format will be followed during the 2025 NBA All-Star Game?
The 74th annual NBA All-Star Weekend will have its main event take a different approach. Earlier, the event consisted of an East vs. West competition, with two team captains drafting their teams. This time, the game will be played in a tournament-style competition.
The event will see 4 teams, comprising of 8 players each, go up against each other. Players from the first 3 teams were selected by former NBA players and ‘NBA on TNT’ hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith. The trio were also made the honorary general managers of their respective teams, meaning that the squad would bear their names (Team Shaq, Team Chuck, Team Kenny). Meanwhile, the 4th team will not consist of any selected All-Stars. Instead, the team will be the winner of the ‘Castrol Rising Stars’, a four-team tournament that will feature three squads of top NBA rookies, and second-year players. A fourth squad of G-League stars will also participate. WNBA legend Candace Parker has been chosen as the honorary manager for the 4th team. Rising Stars will take place on February 14th, 2 days before the commencement of the All-Star tournament.
During the All-Star Game, two teams will meet in one semifinal matchup, and the remaining two teams in the other one. The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 will advance to compete in the championship game. The winner of each game will be the first team that reaches or surpasses, 40 points.
What is the makeup of each team participating in the All-Star game?
While the format of the All-Star game changed, how the players were selected was not. Like before, the game starters, five from each conference, were selected by a vote of fans, NBA players, and select media. The votes by fans count as 50% (and tiebreaker) towards the final decision, the votes of current NBA players count as 25%, and the media panel has a 25% say.
Additionally, the seven reserve players from each conference would be selected by NBA head coaches. When all is said and done, the names of the starters and reserves are divided to be drawn into the three All-Star teams of eight.
Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith selected the players during Thursday’s TNT’s pregame telecast. Candace Parker will only be able to make her selections, from the Rising Stars final game, on February 14th.
Shaquille O’Neal’s draft picks, either intentionally or unintentionally, reunited many of the NBA OG Veterans on one team. Shaq selected LeBron James as the 1st pick of the draft. Then, he also got Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, etc. The Golden Trio of LeBron, Steph, and Durant will play on the same team for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 05: TNT’s Inside the NBA team (L-R) NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal, host Ernie Johnson Jr., wearing an iGrow laser-based hair-growth helmet, and NBA analysts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley talk during a live telecast of “NBA on TNT” at CES 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The reunion would be thrilling, but also a bit awkward. After all, a few days ago, Kevin Durant had shown a disinterest in returning to the Golden State Warriors. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported that Stephen Curry had a conversation with KD about the trade situation. However, whatever was discussed between the duo “convinced him a reunion was extremely unlikely, no matter how much the Golden State Warriors ownership group and front office collectively “underestimated” Durant’s coldness toward a return, as one team source put it.” Despite this, Durant and Curry can attempt to be professional during the game.
The following are the members of Team Shaq:
PLAYER
NBA TEAM
LeBron James (1st draft pick) (Starter)
Los Angeles Lakers
Stephen Curry (5th draft pick) (Starter)
Golden State Warriors
Anthony Davis (9th draft pick)
Dallas Mavericks
Jayson Tatum (10th draft pick) (Starter)
Boston Celtics
Kevin Durant (14th draft pick) (Starter)
Phoenix Suns
Damian Lillard (18th draft pick)
Milwaukee Bucks
James Harden (19th draft pick)
Los Angeles Clippers
Jaylen Brown (23rd draft pick)
Boston Celtics
Meanwhile, Charles Barkley went ahead and added some international blood to his selections, along with a few big men. The 76ers legend picked up Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc. He even picked Victor Wembanyama, who will be participating in his first-ever All-Star game.
The following are the members of Team Chuck:
PLAYER
NBA TEAM
Nikola Jokic (3rd draft pick) (Starter)
Denver Nuggets
Giannis Antetokounmpo (4th draft pick) (Starter)
Milwaukee Bucks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (8th draft pick) (Starter)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Victor Wembanyama (12th draft pick)
San Antonio Spurs
Pascal Siakam (13th draft pick)
Indiana Pacers
Alperen Sengun (17th draft pick)
Houston Rockets
Karl-Anthony Towns (21st draft pick) (Starter)
New York Knicks
Donovan Mitchell (22nd draft pick) (Starter)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Kenny Smith’s selections were a mixed bag. The following are the members of his team:
PLAYER
NBA TEAM
Anthony Edwards (2nd draft pick)
Minnesota Timberwolves
Jalen Brunson (6th draft pick) (Starter)
New York Knicks
Jaren Jackson Jr. (7th draft pick)
Memphis Grizzlies
Jalen Williams (11th draft pick)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Darius Garland (15th draft pick)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Evan Mobley (16th draft pick)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cade Cunningham (20th draft pick)
Detroit Pistons
Tyler Herro (24th draft pick)
Miami Heat
What will the winner of the NBA All-Star game get?
According to reports, each player from the winning team will receive a prize amount of $125,000. Meanwhile, the runners-up will receive $50,000 each, while the players on third, and fourth place, will get $25,000 each.
How to watch the NBA All-Star game?
All of the tournament games will take place on February 16th, after all other All-Star weekend events have concluded. They will begin airing on TNT from 8 p.m. ET onwards.
The change to the format is Adam Silver’s big experiment. Whether it will result in increased viewership and interest in the All-Star Weekend is something that remains to be seen.
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