Changes to the NBA All-Star Game format are reportedly coming into sharper focus.
Following reports that the league is considering a four-team tournament for the All-Star Game, the tournament will likely be in a pickup format, with the two semifinal games played under 40 and the championship game played over 25.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for February 16 at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center.
As previously stated, the four teams will consist of three All-Star teams of eight players each, with the fourth team being the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge.
The Rising Stars game is also a four-team tournament, with each team consisting of freshmen and sophomores. One of the rosters is also made up of celebrities from the G League.
Players in last year’s Rising Stars competition included Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams and Dereck Lively II. Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland, who were both first-round picks in the 2024 NBA draft, also participated.
The coaching staffs from the top two teams in each conference would lead the All-Star teams, according to The Athletic. If the current order were to hold, Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics would coach the Eastern teams. The West teams would be coached by Steve Kerr of the Warriors and Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA and commissioner Adam Silver wanted to make changes to the All-Star Game after last year’s contest was not very competitive and ended with a final score of 211–186.
“I think there’s no question the players were disappointed in last year’s All-Star Game as well,” Silver told reporters before the Heat-Wizards game in Mexico City on Nov. 2. “We all want to do a better job of providing competition.” and fun for our fans.”
NBA All-Star Weekend could also include a variation of last season’s NBA vs. WNBA 3-point challenge, which featured Golden State’s Stephen Curry and the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu. Among the players rumored to be included in the expanded competition are Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson of the Dallas Mavericks.