Explaining NBA All-Star Game format: What's different in 2025
Yesterday at 04:39 PM
Talent runs deeper in the NBA than ever before. It is incredibly hard for star players to even make the All-Star Game, let alone be picked as an All-Star starter. Despite all of the talent that could make All-Star Weekend so fun to watch, ratings are still down, and complaints are still up for the event that brings the best basketball players in the world together.
The NBA has regularly changed the format for the All-Star Game in recent years, and they are doing so again in 2025. In this article, we will explain just what is different.
When and where is the 2025 All-Star Weekend?
All-Star Weekend is from Feb. 14-16, with the All-Star Game itself taking place on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET. The main event will be at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Other All-Star events will take place throughout Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area.
*Watch the NBA All-Star Game live on fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
All-Star Game format
The voting process for the All-Star Game hasn’t changed. Five players will be honored as starters from each conference, with 24 players filling out the All-Star rosters in total. When it comes to picking starters, fans hold 50% of the voting power. Twenty-five percent of the voting comes from active players, and a media panel has 25% voting weight as well. Each conference’s remaining seven reserves are picked by head coaches around the league.
The format for the game itself is way different than in years past, though. We’ve seen captains select players from across the league before, regardless of conference. The Elam Ending was used for games starting in 2020, and the NBA reverted back to a typical Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference matchup last year.
The new format will be a four-team mini-tournament. Four teams of eight players will compete in shortened games to 40 points. It will be a three-game tournament, with the third game serving as the championship clash.
Three of the teams will consist exclusively of All-Star players drafted by Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley. The fourth team, who will be managed by Candace Parker, will be filled with players from the championship team from the Rising Stars Challenge.
The four coaches needed for the event will come from the teams with the best record in each conference. There is a prize pool for the winners totaling $1.8 million, meaning each winning player can earn $125,000, while each player on the second-placed team will earn $25,000.
Stakes are higher than ever before, so the NBA is hoping that competition and effort will be greater than they have been in recent years. Recently, the All-Star Game has been nothing more than a glorified dunk contest, as players have played next to no defense in order to avoid injury.
The 10 All-Star starters will be announced at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 23, while the reserves will be announced on Jan. 30. In addition to the All-Star Game itself, there will be a Celebrity Game and Rising Star Challenge on Friday, Feb. 14. There will also be a Skill Challenge, Three-Point Contest, and Dunk Contest on Saturday, Feb. 15.
The NBA is doing everything they can to establish significance for the All-Star Game. Some players, namely Kevin Durant, have vocalized their criticism over the newest format, though. Only time will tell if it will be a hit or yet another format dud.
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