Why is the NBA All-Star Game format changing again? To boost competition

[ad_1] LAS VEGAS — As anticipated, the upcoming NBA All-Star Recreation in San Francisco might be a mini-tournament of three groups composed of the highest 24 gamers within the league and the crew that wins the Rising Stars Problem.

Sure, the thought behind the change — this would be the league’s third totally different All-Star format since 2020 — is to attempt to make the sport extra aggressive. But in addition, or as a substitute, or at minimal, to make it extra attention-grabbing to observe on TV.

“I feel we’ve come to phrases that trendy All-Stars are partially about competitors, however in the end, they’re about entertaining the followers and creating a robust expertise for them,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Tuesday in an interview with The Athletic and different nationwide media shops.

“As you guys know, I used to be flawed about final 12 months,” Silver mentioned. “I assumed in Indiana that given the type of truth it was type of considered because the heartland of basketball and a robust presence from some legends there, that the fellows would roll the clock again a bit and play a standard recreation and it wasn’t meant to be.

“And so we went again to the drafting board with the gamers affiliation, once more, speaking on to gamers and mentioned, ‘Let’s give you a format that we expect has a greater likelihood of making a recreation, or on this case, a collection of competitions that might be of curiosity to the followers.’”

The brand new format, introduced collectively Tuesday by the NBA and Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation, will embody three video games — two semifinals and the championship — by which the winner is the crew to achieve 40 or extra factors first. There's a prize cash pool of $1.8 million, with the champion crew incomes $125,000 per participant.

The NBA and NBPA introduced right this moment a brand new format for the 2025 NBA All-Star Recreation within the San Francisco Bay Space.

As well as, NBA All-Star Voting offered by AT&T will tip off on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. ET.

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The collection of the league’s prime stars is not going to change. Twelve gamers from every convention might be named All-Stars, with followers, media and gamers voting on the 5 “starters” and the seven reserves from every convention determined by coaches.

These gamers will then go right into a pool for selecting by TNT’s three analysts — Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal — who're serving as honorary common managers for the three All-Star groups. They are going to divide the groups into three teams of eight All-Stars on Feb. 6 earlier than TNT’s weekly doubleheader.

Honorary common supervisor for the Rising Stars crew is one other Turner Sports activities analyst, Candace Parker. The Rising Stars Problem takes place on the Friday of All-Star weekend; the All-Star event is on Feb. 16 at Chase Middle.

The coaches for the All-Star Recreation will come from the employees of the first-place crew in every convention as of Feb. 2. The pinnacle coach from every first-place crew will coach an All-Star crew, an assistant from one of many staffs will coach the Rising Stars champion and one other assistant will coach the remaining All-Star crew.

In November, The Athletic reported that Silver’s workplace was consulting with gamers, together with the Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, on altering the All-Star Recreation once more in one other try to make the occasion extra aggressive. Silver credited gamers’ affiliation govt director Andre Iguodala with main the dialogue on the gamers’ facet with Silver’s workplace.

As Silver referenced, final 12 months’s All-Star Recreation in Indianapolis set a brand new document for factors scored — and that wasn’t factor, as gamers on each groups merely didn’t play with any effort in anyway on protection.

“With the elephant within the room being us competing, them attempting to shake issues up is predicted and is sensible,” mentioned Oklahoma Metropolis star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who's a two-time All-Star. “However on the finish of the day, it’s going to come back down as to if the gamers wish to go at it, and I'd like to see that. Like to be part of that for certain, and hopefully it occurs.”

Fan voting for All-Stars will start on Dec. 19. There have been no adjustments introduced to All-Star Saturday programming, however it's anticipated Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, who's from the Bay Space, will have interaction in a taking pictures competitors for the second consecutive All-Star Saturday.

Silver mentioned the league has labored with the gamers affiliation to lower the All-Star Recreation pregame introductions and nationwide anthem productions so the gamers might have a extra regular warm-up routine earlier than taking part in.

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“After I was a child rising up and watching All Stars, it was one of many solely alternatives you had as a fan to see many of those gamers,” Silver mentioned. “It was one of many solely time that these gamers got here collectively. It’s simply such a distinct world now. They’re collectively on a regular basis. They’re collectively in the summertime. They’re collectively on nationwide groups.

“For us, it’s a recognition that it’s a distinct time,” Silver continued. “And, , we’ll see. I’m inspired with this new format that we will create some actual pleasure there.”