THE NBA All-Star Game will look very different this year.
Traditionally, two teams of 12 would make up and East versus West match of the best in the league, voted by fans, media and players.
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But this year it will look totally different.
Instead, the NBA is introducing a tournament-style format made up of four teams.
There will be eight players per side and three total games – each will be won by the first team to score 40 points.
It all goes down of Sunday, February 16 and will be aired on ESPN+, NBA TV and truTV and on TNT Sports in the UK.
Steph Curry – an 11-time All Star – suggested a change in format when meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver last summer.
“He didn’t have any ideas at that time, and my advice was it’s not a bad thing to change it up entirely and try something new, knowing you can always come back to the traditional format if whatever you decide doesn’t work,” Curry told The San Francisco Standard.
The 2022 All-Star Game MVP was satisfied with where Silver and the league landed.
“It comes down to the players, whether you play or not, but I like where it’s at,” Curry said.
“It’s going to be different, it’s going to be critiqued, and that’s kind of what you want.”
This year’s game also includes a $1.8million prize pool, with the players from the winning team bringing home $125,000 EACH.
The runners-up take $50,000 each, while the two teams that miss the final will earn $25,000 per player.
The fourth team in the All-Star tournament will be the winning side from the Rising Stars Challenge.
It will be composed of first- and second-year players – who may see the monetary incentives as more appealing.
