Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 NBA All-Star Game: New Format and Rules
NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, Announced a New ‘Mini Tournament’ Format
Hoping for More Competitiveness
After years of tinkering with the format, the NBA news on Tuesday revealed the exact format and rules for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on February 16, 2025, in San Francisco at Chase Center.
NBA rumors have suggested that Commissioner Adam Silver has yet to be satisfied with the lack of defense and care in these All-Star Games. To combat this, the new format will be a mini-tournament consisting of four eight-man rosters and three games.
A New Era
The 24 NBA All-Star selections will be drafted to their three rosters by honorary general managers from the NBA on TNT, including Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith. The fourth team will be the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge and managed by Candace Parker. This is the final NBA All-Star Game on TNT before coverage moves to NBC next year.
Two semifinal games are played between the teams. The winning teams in those two games will meet for the championship (Game 3). The NBA initially considered the championship game only requiring 25 points to win, but all three games will require a team to reach or surpass 40 points to win the game.
It should be interesting to see the betting odds on the game involving the Rising Stars since they theoretically should be at a significant disadvantage in talent and experience.
The NBA and NBPA announced today a new format for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In addition, NBA All-Star Voting presented by AT&T will tip off on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. ET.
Full details ➡️ https://t.co/KntyklRIe7 pic.twitter.com/3jIbW1tZWZ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 17, 2024
Kevin Durant Already Hates It
If you wanted an instant reaction from a 14-time NBA-All Star about the new format, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has already weighed in with a negative take as his Suns rank sixth in the NBA standings in the Western Conference:
“I hate it,” the legend told Phoenix reporters on Tuesday minutes after the news broke of the format. “Absolutely hate it. The All-Star Game format is changing and the other formats, all of it is terrible, in my opinion. We should just go back to East vs. West and just play a game.”
Durant continued:
“I think we’ve been trying to bring that flair back with All-Star Weekend but I think we should just keep it traditional. We’ll see how this one works. You never know, I might be wrong. I’m just another guy with another opinion.”
Kevin Durant not impressed with the new NBA all star game format pic.twitter.com/lahSGcmqwj
— Scott Stuart 2K (@ScottStuart2K) December 17, 2024
Durant has never been afraid to voice his opinions on such matters, but it’s always possible he changes his mind. Some players have quickly warmed up to the in-season tournament that concluded Tuesday night with Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly looking like winning the Emirates Cup mattered a lot to him.
“Losing is not the option. It will never be the option.”
🗣️ #EmiratesNBACup MVP, @Giannis_An34 pic.twitter.com/22ETQW43Ny
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2024
But the NBA All-Star Game has been an event that’s declined in interest for years and it will be harder to get players to buy into than a tournament that has a trophy and good money at the end for the winners. We’ll find out how Durant and the other superstars who are NBA picks for the game feel about the new format when the games happen in February.
