The NBA All-Star participants have been officially chosen, and the next step involves forming the teams. The roster of ten starters was unveiled on January 23, followed by the announcement of the 14 reserve players on Thursday. These 24 athletes will be organized into teams of eight for the upcoming matchups set to take place on February 16 in San Francisco.

TNT’s renowned analysts, including basketball legends Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith, will be responsible for drafting the teams on February 6. The created teams will proudly carry the names of their respective drafters: Team Shaq, Team Charles, and Team Kenny.

The player selections to choose from are notable and include:

— LeBron James and Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers

— Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland from the Cleveland Cavaliers

— Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics

— Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard from the Milwaukee Bucks

— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams from the Oklahoma City Thunder

— Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves

— Cade Cunningham from the Detroit Pistons

— Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves

— James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers

— Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns

— Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets

— Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors

— Pascal Siakam from the Indiana Pacers

— Tyler Herro from the Miami Heat

— Alperen Sengun from the Houston Rockets

— Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies

— Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs

The tournament format is designed for fast-paced action, with each game played to a target score of 40 points — the first team to attain that score is declared the winner. The victorious squads from the semifinals will then face off in the grand All-Star final, which will also conclude once one team scores 40 points.

In terms of how players were selected, the ten starters were chosen based on a weighted system: 50% fan voting, 25% input from a media panel, and 25% votes from current players. Meanwhile, head coaches in the NBA were responsible for selecting the 14 reserves. However, the distinction between starters and reserves will blur during the event, as each of the three teams will have five different starters and only nine players will come off the bench during semifinal matches.

The Rising Stars showcase will add another exciting layer to the All-Star games on February 16, as the winner of this tournament, taking place on February 14 and featuring first- and second-year players, will constitute a fourth team known as Team Candace, in honor of Candace Parker.

This shift in format stems from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s desire for a more competitive All-Star event. This change follows last season’s game, where the teams collectively scored an unprecedented 397 points, culminating in a 211-186 finish. Last year’s game also saw a staggering 289 shooting attempts with 94% of shots taken either in the paint or beyond the three-point range.

The coaching duties for the event will be shared by Kenny Atkinson from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mark Daigneault from the Oklahoma City Thunder, with each coach assisted by two members from their respective staffs to oversee the other teams. Cleveland and Oklahoma City are represented due to their top records in the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively.

Additionally, players will have financial incentives to compete. A prize pool totaling $1.8 million awaits participants, with each member of the championship team earning $125,000, while runners-up will receive $50,000, and those eliminated in the semifinals will still go home with $25,000 each.