“First place, everybody gets a Maybach. Second place, everybody gets Cybertrucks. MVP gets a million-dollar cash…. And the losers get S550s.” A few days ago, on his podcast, Shaquille O’Neal suggested the above-mentioned changes for the All-Star game. Although he won’t be on hardwood helping players win, he won’t be far out of the fun either. And he would be getting another opportunity to beat his co-host and best friend Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

For the first time in the history of the league, the NBA All-Star Game will feature a mini-tournament with four teams. Two teams will battle in the two semifinals and the winners will face each other in the final. The winning team will be decided on who can surpass 40 points. Let’s look at why drastic change was needed.

Kenny Smith and Co. to inspire a viewership change?

The number seems low, after last year’s game where the Western Conference won 211-186 against the Eastern Conference. A team winning by 200 points was the first in its 73-year history. From 2003 when the rating was at 10.8 million, it has fallen to for the last year’s game as per Statista. And even the Commissioner wasn’t happy with the entire ordeal.

“We’re looking at other formats. I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.” Adam Silver continued, “We want to do something that will excite the fans and also excite the players, so it’s something they’ll be enthusiastic about playing in.” And that excitement factor turns out to be Inside the NBA analysts.

There will be 24 NBA All-Star selections, and the league will divide them into three teams. TNT’s Inside the NBA crew will not only draft the players but also will be honorary team general managers. So, yes Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith will pick their respective teams live on TNT in the NBA All-Star Draft. Not just the NBA legends and icon, Silver also stated that he was in talks with a current superstar.

“It’s a home game for him. I know he’s very prideful and wants to make sure the players put their best foot forward.” He was talking about none other than Golden State’s Stephen Curry. Since the 2025 All-Star edition will happen in the Bay Area, Silver stated that he spoke with Curry. So not sure who should we credit for the format of the latest All-Star games.

The 4th team and more rules about the game

As stated, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal will be the respective GMs of their teams. The fourth one also has a TNT affiliation and is a 3x WNBA Champion. Candace Parker will serve as honorary GM of the Rising Stars champion. The winning team will be from the championship game of the Castrol Rising Stars, which is also a new addition.

It is the annual showcase of top first- and second-year NBA players and NBA G League standouts. The voting process is that the five players who will be starters are not directly based on fans’ voting. The spectators can vote and that will amount to 50% and current NBA players and a media panel will have a representation of 25% each.

Kevin Durant was one of the first players to react to this and stated he hated the idea. And wants it the simplified version of the East vs the West. But with the ratings dropping and players losing motivation, this could be the thing that brings fans back.