Stephen Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, speaks to media throughout the NBA All-Star sport media day, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Picture/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
SAN FRANCISCO — This shall be an precise All-Star matchup. On one aspect, there’s a workforce with 86 mixed All-Star picks, $2.7 billion in on-court earnings and the place each single participant on the workforce is both an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, or each.
On the opposite, there’s a bunch of younger guys with out a lot in the way in which of resumes but.
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Welcome to the reimagined NBA All-Star Sport, a single-elimination mini-tournament: 4 groups of eight gamers, three video games, first to 40 factors wins and a David vs. Goliath component thrown in there for good measure. It occurs Sunday evening in San Francisco, the NBA’s newest approach of making an attempt to make the midseason showcase occasion aggressive once more.
READ: NBA All-Star 2025: Acquainted faces, recent format in San Francisco
“It’s undoubtedly completely different, undoubtedly attention-grabbing,” New York’s Jalen Brunson stated. “We’ll see. I’m simply as as you.”
There’s no extra Jap Convention vs. Western Convention. There are 4 groups with new names: Shaq’s OGs, Kenny’s Younger Stars, Chuck’s International Stars and Candace’s Rising Stars, all a nod to TNT analysts and basketball greats Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Candace Parker.
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It’ll be Smith’s workforce towards Barkley’s workforce within the first semifinal. The second is the one with all of the intrigue: O’Neal’s workforce of a number of the largest names in basketball historical past — LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
They’re going up towards this group of first- and second-year gamers that earned their approach into the All-Star combine by profitable Friday’s Rising Stars competitors: San Antonio’s Stephon Fort, Utah’s Keyonte George, Phoenix’s Ryan Dunn, Memphis teammates Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dalton Knecht and Houston’s Amen Thompson. Wonderful gamers, for positive, however they’re not All-Stars — not less than, formally.
And but, they might win the All-Star Sport.
READ: NBA All-Star: Mac McClung pulls off first dunk contest three-peat
“I believe that’s in all probability why they put such a format in, to type of heighten that sense of pleasure and never desirous to be on the fallacious finish of that,” Lillard stated. “I imply, we’ll see. I believe one factor a few workforce filled with younger gamers is that they’re going to come back on the market they usually’re going to play with some vitality. They’re going to play quick. I believe that’ll in all probability heighten the competitors.”
The Rising Stars workforce is, by far, the lengthy shot to win this factor, in line with BetMGM Sportsbook. It’s truthful to say that they received’t have a lot anticipated of them. However that stated, Mac McClung — who went up towards that workforce within the Rising Stars competitors title sport Friday evening — stated he wouldn’t rely them out.
“They’re nonetheless NBA basketball gamers. They’re nonetheless actually good basketball gamers,” McClung stated. “And I believe everyone’s vibe is simply pleasure proper now. We’ll see how aggressive the sport is. I’m excited to observe it myself.”
That’s the entire motive for the change: Competitors, or not less than the hope of getting some.
The All-Star Sport final yr set all types of information: a 211-186 last rating, nearly every part 3-pointers or dunks, and it didn’t sit properly with Commissioner Adam Silver and the remainder of the NBA decision-makers. They don’t need Sport 7-type mayhem. They need a greater product.
So, the match concept grew to become actuality.
READ: NBA: Stephon Fort leads Group C to All-Star Sport
“I like taking probabilities on one thing completely different, figuring out that the sport had type of stalled out for a few years,” Curry stated. “I believe it’ll work simply because it’ll be one thing new for everyone.”
A minimum of one participant is vowing to play protection on this All-Star Sport. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, a prime defensive participant of the yr candidate who’s within the All-Star Sport for the primary time, stated he’s bringing his finest.
“That’s the aim,” Wembanyama stated. “The aim is to not chill, for positive.”
Contained in the numbers
For instance the dimensions of the mismatch — on paper — within the second semifinal, think about this:
Shaq’s OGs have the No. 1 (James), No. 8 (Durant), No. 13 (Harden), the No. 27 (Curry), No. 37 (Lillard), No. 81 (Irving), No. 220 (Tatum) and No. 337 (Brown) scorers in NBA historical past.
The Rising Stars’ main scorer: That might be George, tied for 1,813th on the all-time scoring record.
The format
It’s pretty easy: untimed video games, first workforce to 40 factors wins, no fouling out, common guidelines just about apply. There is no such thing as a comfort sport.
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Gamers on the profitable workforce get $125,000 every. Gamers on the workforce that finishes second get $50,000 every. The opposite two groups get $25,000 per participant.
