The highly anticipated 73rd NBA All-Star game is scheduled to dazzle basketball fans on February 18 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. What’s new and surprising is game once again returns to the traditional East vs. West format. This year’s showdown will showcase the best talents from the Eastern and Western Conferences, with each team comprised of 12 players. The decision was recently announced to revert to the classic four-quarter scoring method, with 12-minute timed quarters.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently made an appearance at the ESPN show. During the interview with sports analyst Pat McAfee, he spoke about the change. He shared, “Whether it is our business partners or media from around the world. They cover the NBA that’s I why think we generate such a big audience and so much interest for the weekend. I mean the game itself is something that guys show up.” He added, “I think one of the reasons we’re returning to the traditional East VS West format this year and frankly hoping to get a little bit better of the game.”

The previous All-Star draft format has been a fixture for the past six seasons

Watch This Story: Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Naomi Osaka join hands to push the Marvel franchise

The previous All-Star draft 

Two players with the most votes, with fans contributing 50%, and players and media sharing the remaining 25% will be selected for the caption position. For the second year in a row, LeBron James will lead the West, while Giannis Antetokounmpo takes the helm for the East. Giannis secured over 4.3 million fan votes, surpassing James, who received over 3.9 million votes from fans. From 2018 to 2023, the All-Star draft team LeBron James fielded showed dominance as it secured victories in five consecutive years before a surprising defeat to Team Giannis in the most recent season. However, a notable departure from the tradition is that captains will no longer be tasked with handpicking their fellow All-Stars.

“The theme this year is, ‘Back to basketball around the league,’” NBA Commissioner Silver shared about the change. Furthermore, the league introduced the 65-game rule for this season’s All-Star game. As per this rule, players must actively participate in at least 65 out of the 82 regular-season games to remain eligible for postseason awards. This criterion includes prestigious accolades such as All-NBA honors, the MVP award, and the Defensive Player of the Year title. The flexibility will allow players to miss up to 17 games. What are your thoughts on the changes? Let us know in the comments section below.

READ MORE: “This Is Exactly What the NBA Wants”: DeMarcus Cousins Predicts NBA’s Future, as Luka Doncic’s 5-Year-Old Prophecy Comes True