Like it or not, the NBA All-Star Game has a new format for the 2024/25 season. Over the years, the structure has seen a lot of changes. From the top-voted players from each conference becoming team captains to the Elam ending being brought in then discarded soon after. But this season has its fair share of shakeups with GMs, honorary GMs, and 40-point games.

If you’re one of those who are having trouble keeping up with the ever-changing rules of this iconic game, don’t worry! We’ve got your backs. So, let’s break down the new format of the NBA All-Star Game.

What is the new NBA All-Star format?

The 2025 All-Star Weekend emanates from the Golden State Warriors’ home, the Chase Center in San Francisco. The game takes place at 8 PM EST on February 16. 

The format for this year’s NBA All-Star is relatively simple. Four teams will compete in a mini tournament for bragging rights. Doing away with the traditional system, the first team in each matchup with 40 points will win that game with the losing team being eliminated. All in all, the tourney will carry on for 3 games until a winner is crowned. 

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The players for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game were chosen with a combination of fan votes (50%), player votes (25%), and a media panel (25%). However, this is only true for 3 of the 4 teams playing in the storied game this year. The fourth team for the All-Star Game will be the winner of the Rising Stars Tournament. The team will made up of G-League players along with first and second-year players from the NBA. 

Who will draft the players for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game?

24 players from the NBA will be shared among the three remaining teams with 10 starters and 14 reserves in total. However, the reserves for the game have not been named yet. But don’t worry, we’ve got the list of starters for you right here:

Eastern Conference:

• Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks
• Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers
• Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks
• Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
• Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics

Western Conference: 

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
• Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
• Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
• LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
• Kevin Durant – Phoenix Suns

These players will be divided evenly into 3 teams with the Inside the NBA analysts heading up each team as the General Managers. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal. and Kenny Smith will be drafting their respective teams, live, on February 6 on TNT. The fourth team will be led by “honorary GM”, Candace Parker.

Adding some king energy would be LeBron James will be making his 21st appearance in the All-Star Game. An insane feat that we don’t see anyone replicating anytime soon. Although his Team USA compatriot, Stephen Curry has received some flak for his selection even though he didn’t have a role to play in it. However, the GMs probably won’t mind having a 4x NBA champ on their squad.

Who are the head coaches for the 2025 NBA All-Star teams?

Now coming to who’ll be at the helm for the teams. Well, there are no traditional team captains this year for the All-Star Game. Instead, the head coaches for these teams will be chosen from the coaching staffs of the teams with the best regular season record in each conference.

Additionally, the cutoff date for this record is set as February 2. Put simply, the leading coaches from the Eastern and Western Conferences will lead one team each.

The third team will be led by an assistant coach from one of the aforementioned coaching staffs. While, the Rising Stars team will be coached by the assistant coach of the other coaching staff.  

What is the prize money for the NBA All-Star Game?

Surprisingly or not, the prize pool set for this year’s All-Star Game is a whopping $1.8 million. The winners of the game this season will receive $125,000 each. However, the second team will see quite a steep fall off as they will receive around $50,000 each. The third and fourth-place teams will receive half that amount at $25,000 each.

The new format presents a unique challenge to players in the All-Star Game this year. We expect this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend to be fast-paced and intense. And we certainly can’t wait to see who returns to the regular season with the badge of NBA All-Star champ this season. Let us know who you think will win the All-Star Game this year!