Report: NBA to tweak All-Star Game with pickup-style tournament originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
THE NBA The All-Star Game is undergoing other changes.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported Thursday that there will be a four-team tournament format for the event next February at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Here is how the competition will take place:
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Players will be divided into four teams of eight: three All-Star teams and the winner of the Rising Stars game being the fourth.
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Teams would face each other in semi-final matches contested to 40 points.
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The winners advance to the final game, which will be played up to 25 points.
The event is expected to mimic a fast-paced competition that resembles pickup games, where the winner advances to a single-elimination game. It’s unclear exactly how the All-Star teams will be split, but the 24 players will likely still include 12 from each conference.
After years of tweaking the format, the hope is that another new wrinkle will increase the intensity of the games. The league moved from the traditional East vs. West format to have the captains choose teams from 2018 to 2023. They also used a “late Elam” format from 2020 to 2023.
Charania reported that managers, coaches and players discussed new All-Star Game concepts with league officials over the past six months. Commissioner Adam Silver has called for changes, especially after last season, when the East beat the West 211-186 in the final. The most memorable All-Star Game in NBA history.
“We are looking at other formats,” Silver said earlier this month. “I think there’s no doubt that the players were also disappointed in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”
THE 2025 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for February 16 in the Bay Area.
