Goodbye to the NBA All-Star game you used to know: Here’s the new format for 2025

Last December, the NBA announced a new and totally revolutionary format for the All Star Game. A groundbreaking idea that will debut at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the All-Star Game will be played (now divided into several smaller games) on February 16.

This new format will be the culmination of a weekend packed with a series of games, contests and activities set to entertain the Bay Area audience.

New All Star format

For the first time, the All Star Game will not be one game, but four, with semi-finals won by the team that reaches 40 points in each round. The final will be played using the same system: the winners of the semi-finals will face each other, and the winner will be the first to reach (or exceed) 40 points.

There will be four teams of eight players, three of which will be made up of the 24 players selected for the All-Star game in the traditional system: twelve from the Eastern Conference and twelve from the West. They will have as symbolic general managers the star commentators of TNT: Shaquille O’Neal (Team Shaq), Charles Barkley (Team Chuck) and Kenny Smith (Team Kenny). The fourth team will be the winner of Friday’s event, the Castrol Rising Stars, which brings together the best rookies and sophomores with some of the main stars of the G League. The winner, who will advance to Sunday’s tournament, will have former player and TNT analyst Candace Parker as general manager (Team Candace).

What hasn’t changed is the system for selecting players: The ten starters were chosen by a panel that included fans (50% of the vote), players (25%) and the media (25%). The fourteen substitutes were voted on by the coaches. And if a substitution is necessary, it is up to commissioner Adam Silver to choose the new all-star. The quintets were formed with two backcourt players (point guards and shooting guards) and three frontcourt players (small forwards, power forwards and centers); and the benches with two, three and two extra wildcard players for players of any position.

From its first edition in 1951 until 2017, the NBA had a classic and untouchable format: East versus West. In 2018, the first revolution was introduced: two captains (the most voted player from each Conference) began to choose their teammates from the list of 24 selected. This was briefly successful but also started to lose it’s spark last year in Indianapolis, an unsuccessful attempt was made to give the game some seriousness by returning to the traditional East versus West. It didn’t work: the East won 211-186. So, now comes this new idea of the four teams with semi-finals and final.

There will be a financial incentive, with a prize pool of 1.8 million dollars to be shared. Each player on the winning team will take home 125,000 dollars. Those on the second-place team will get 50,000 dollars; and those on the teams that lose in the semifinals will get 25,000 dollars.

All Star teams

TEAM SHAQ: LeBron James (Lakers), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks, in place of the injured Anthony Davis), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Kevin Durant (Suns), Damian Lillard (Bucks), James Harden (Clippers) and Jaylen Brown (Celtics).

TEAM KENNY: Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jaren Jackson Jr (Grizzlies), Jalen Williams (Thunder), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Evan Mobley (Cavaliers), Cade Cunningham (Pistons) and Tyler Herro (Heat).

TEAM CHUCK: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Trae Young (Hawks, in place of the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) and Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers).

TEAM CANDACE (Rising Stars): Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Dalton Knecht (L.A. Lakers), Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies), Keyonte George (Utah Jazz), Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Golden State Warriors), Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns)

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