Why is there a new NBA All-Star game format? Rules, rosters explained

Posted by author February 16, 2025 NBA

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The first 200-point final score in NBA All-Star game history didn’t sit right with commissioner Adam Silver last year. He couldn’t ignore the lack of competitiveness on the court and the increasingly meek response from everyone forced to watch what had traditionally been one of the league’s crown jewel events.

“I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game,” Silver told reporters in Mexico City in November 2024. “We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”

A new All-Star game format came about because of the fallout, with changes instituted for Sunday’s 2025 NBA All-Star game in San Francisco. Silver said he consulted with NBA players, most notably Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, about how to infuse more energy and intensity into the all-star game despite it remaining an exhibition for the players.

The result is another reinvention attempt. The NBA hopes tapping into the vibe of playing pick-up basketball in the park can create a better environment for players and fans alike. Here’s what to know about the NBA All-Star Game format change for 2025, including rosters and how to watch Sunday’s game:

NBA All-Star Game 2025 rules, format explained

After returning to the East vs. West format for 2024, the NBA adopted a completely different approach this year. There won’t be just one game, or really a basketball game at all in the traditional sense, despite there being 24 players once again voted or chosen as all-stars, split evenly between the Eastern and Western Conferences.

This Sunday, those NBA All-Stars have been divided into three teams of eight, and the winning team from Friday’s Rising Stars game — featuring top rookies and second-year players — will comprise another squad in a four-team mini-tournament. The winners of the semifinals will play in the final. The first team to hit 40 points is the winner of each game.

The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million, with each player on the championship-winning team receiving $125,000, each player on the second-place team receiving $50,000 and each player on the third- and fourth-place teams receiving $25,000.

The three teams with NBA All-Stars were chosen earlier this week by TNT basketball analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, who are serving as honorary coach and general managers. Candace Parker, also of TNT, will lead the winning team from the Rising Stars game.

This, of course, is just the latest in a series of changes the NBA has tried to implement to improve the quality of its all-star game in recent years. Other tweaks have included the addition of an Elam ending with an untimed fourth quarter and a draft with team captains. Television ratings for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game were up from the year before with an estimated 5.4 million viewers tuning into the game. But that figure is still down more than 25 percent since 2020.

2025 NBA All-Star teams roster

Team Shaq: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving.
Team Chuck: Donovon Mitchell, Nikola Jokic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Team Kenny: Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Evan Mobley and Jalen Williams.

2025 NBA All-Star Game schedule

All times Eastern.

Sunday, Feb. 16

G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T

Time: 3:30 p.m.
Live stream: Tubi

NBA All-Star Game at Chase Center

Live stream: Sling

Game 1: Team Kenny vs. Team Chuck
Game 2: Team Shaq vs. Team Candace
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

How to watch 2025 NBA All-Star Game

Date: Sunday, Feb. 16
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream: Max, Sling
Location: Chase Center (San Francisco)

Watch the NBA All-Star Game with Sling

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