NBA All-Star Game gets a fresh, competitive four-team format
Reports have emerged about a possible four-team tournament format for the NBA All-Star Game, where the semifinals would play to 40 points and the championship game would conclude at 25 points.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game is set for February 16 at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors.
The proposed format includes three All-Star teams with eight players each, joined by a fourth team comprising the winners of the Rising Stars Challenge.
The Rising Stars event already operates as a four-team tournament, featuring rookies, sophomores, and standout G League players. Last year’s competition included notable names such as Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, and Dereck Lively II. Additionally, Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland, both selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, participated.
In the proposed format, the teams would face off in initial matchups—for instance, Team 1 vs. Team 3 and Team 2 vs. Team 4. The winners from these games would advance to the final.
Discussions about this format took place last Friday with the league’s competition committee, which includes governors, team executives, players, coaches, and union personnel, according to sources.
Over the past six months, NBA executives, coaches, and players have brainstormed fresh ideas for the All-Star Game. During the summer league in Las Vegas this July, the concept of a quick-paced, four-team tournament gained significant traction as a way to rejuvenate the event and showcase the league’s top talent, sources revealed.
Stephen Curry, representing the Bay Area’s host city for the 2025 event, has been actively involved in discussions alongside other All-Stars, sources said.
Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu previously participated in the NBA vs. WNBA 3-point challenge during All-Star Saturday in Indianapolis.
Talks suggest both players are in discussions to return for a revamped shootout, which could include other notable players like Klay Thompson of the Dallas Mavericks and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, sources added.
Following the East’s 211-186 victory over the West in February—a game that set the record for the highest-scoring All-Star Game in history—NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged concerns about the declining competitiveness.
Publicly and privately, he admitted the league might struggle to fix the issue. However, ongoing dialogue between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association has focused on making the 2025 event more distinctive.
“We’re looking at other formats,” Silver stated earlier this month. “I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”
Silver also hinted that the league is considering a departure from the traditional game format for this year’s showcase.
The All-Star Game will take place on February 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
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