LAS VEGAS — The Milwaukee Bucks’ guard Damian Lillard has earned the title of NBA All-Star Game MVP for his remarkable performance last February, where he amassed 39 points in a record-breaking game that ended with a score of East 211, West 186. This high-scoring showdown set a new benchmark for the league, but it also raised concerns among officials regarding the game’s competitiveness and viewership appeal.
In response to the record-breaking match, the NBA is revamping the All-Star Game format once again, aiming to generate heightened levels of competition among players. The league has finalized a new structure for the All-Star showcase, transforming it into a single-night tournament that will take place on the Sunday of All-Star weekend, adopting a style similar to the Rising Stars Challenge that features rookie and sophomore players. There is a collective hope that by encouraging players to engage more competitively, viewership will increase, reversing a decline in ratings that has come alongside the recent trend of showcasing dunks and flashy plays devoid of defense.
“I understand what’s being attempted,” Lillard commented on the changes. “You want to create some type of competitiveness in that game on Sunday. You want to try to mix it up to try to find a way to make it more entertaining. We’ll see.”
The newly designed format closely parallels the one implemented in the Rising Stars games starting in 2022. During these events, top rookies and second-year players are divided into four teams, competing in semifinal matches where the first team to reach 50 points won in the inaugural year, and more recently, the first to 40 points took the victory. This year, two semifinal games will be played, followed by a championship contest in which the winner is the first team to reach 25 points.
For the All-Star format, 24 players will be chosen — 10 as starters and 14 as reserves. However, the structure shifts on game day as these players will be drafted into three teams of eight, with the team that won the Rising Stars Challenge participating as the fourth team in the All-Star tournament. Both semifinal matchups will strive for a score of 40 points before concluding with a final round also capped at 40 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expressed excitement about the event, stating, “If I get a chance to go, obviously it’s a blessing. I support whatever they do because it’s an honor to be there.”
Improving the All-Star weekend has been a long-term objective for Commissioner Adam Silver and the league administration. While expectations for playoff-level intensity are not realistic, there is a desire for a modicum of competitive spirit. Previous attempts to inject competition included the introduction of target-score endings and captains selecting their teams, and now the league will embark on this tournament-style structure.
Silver hinted at forthcoming changes in a recent address, stating, “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.”
This year’s All-Star weekend is scheduled for February 14-16 in San Francisco. The events will kick off with the rookie-sophomore challenge on Friday, followed by All-Star Saturday featuring the dunk contest, three-point contest, skills competition, and likely another showdown between NBA and WNBA players, potentially including stars like Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, with Klay Thompson and Caitlin Clark possibly making appearances.
Sunday will showcase the All-Star Game, restructured into a series of games. It’s a given that the total score will not reach the staggering heights observed last year. “I’m definitely more a fan of the originality,” Lillard remarked, underscoring the importance of the experience of playing on a prestigious platform as a top player. “One side of me is like, why? Why change it? But I think just like this NBA Cup, there’s some incentive in there for people to get after it earlier in the season and try to get something done,” he added, expressing optimism about the forthcoming format changes.