The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) today unveiled an innovative format for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
What is the new format for the All-Star Game?
The NBA All-Star Game will feature a new mini-tournament format with four teams and three games. In the initial phase, two teams will face off in the first semifinal (Game 1), while the other two will compete in the second semifinal (Game 2).
The winners of these semifinals will then play for the title in the final game (Game 3). Each game will end once a team reaches or surpasses 40 points.
Each team will consist of eight players and will be named after an NBA analyst from TNT. The 24 All-Star selections will be evenly split into three teams, and their rosters will be selected live by the TNT Inside the NBA commentators: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, who will act as honorary general managers of their respective teams: Team Charles, Team Shaq, and Team Kenny. The player selections will take place during the NBA All-Star Draft, which will be broadcast live on TNT on Thursday, February 6, just before the doubleheader of games scheduled for that evening.
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The fourth team will be the winner of the final matchup of the Castrol Rising Stars, an annual exhibition that highlights the top first- and second-year NBA players, as well as standout talents from the NBA G League. This event will take place on Friday, February 14, as part of NBA All-Star 2025.
Candace Parker, TNT analyst and a prominent figure in the WNBA, will serve as honorary general manager of the Rising Stars champion team, known as Team Candace.
How will the NBA All-Stars be selected?
The voting mechanism for selecting the 24 NBA All-Star players will remain unchanged. The five starters from each conference will be chosen through a voting system divided into three segments: 50% from the fans, 25% from active players in the league, and 25% from a media panel.
As for the seven reserve players from each conference, their selection will be made by NBA head coaches.
The coaches for the All-Star Game will be selected from the teams with the best regular season records in each conference, through games played until Sunday, February 2.
The head coach of the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, along with the head coach of the team leading the Western Conference, will each be responsible for coaching their respective All-Star teams. Additionally, an assistant coach from one of these teams will coach the Castrol Rising Stars champion team, while an assistant from the other team will lead the second All-Star team.
What will the prize be for the winners of the All-Star Game?
The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a total prize pool of $1.8 million. The members of the winning team will each receive $125,000, while players from the second-place team will get $50,000 each. Finally, players from the teams finishing in third and fourth place will receive $25,000 each.
NBA All-Star Voting
NBA All-Star voting, sponsored by AT&T, the NBA’s official 5G wireless network, will take place from Thursday, December 19 at 10 a.m. ET until Monday, January 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET. During this period, fans will have the opportunity to vote for the NBA All-Star starters using the NBA app and NBA.com via their NBA ID.
Voters in the United States will automatically be entered into the NBA ID All-Star sweepstakes, presented by AT&T, for a chance to win a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend the 2025 NBA All-Star.
During the voting period, NBA ID members can submit a full ballot once per day through the NBA app and NBA.com voting page (NBA.com/vote). A complete ballot must include three forwards and two guards, selected from the Eastern and Western Conferences. All active NBA players will be available for selection.
There will be six special “3-for-1” days, where NBA ID member votes will count as three times their normal value. These days will be held from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. ET on the following dates: Saturday, December 21, Wednesday, December 25, Friday, January 3, Friday, January 10, Friday, January 17, and Monday, January 20, which is the last day to vote.
Fan voting updates will be announced on the first three Thursdays of January (January 2, 9, and 16). TNT will announce the All-Star Game starters on Thursday, January 23, and the reserves on Thursday, January 30.
When will the 2025 NBA All-Star Game take place?
The reinvented event will be held on Sunday, February 16, at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Where is the 2025 NBA All-Star Game?
The game will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Where to watch the 2025 NBA All-Star Game?
The event will be broadcast on TNT.
