NBA All-Star Game Format Explained: What’s Different in 2025

Talent goes deeper into the NBA than ever before. It is incredibly difficult for Zvezda players to even participate in the All-Star Game, let alone be selected as an All-Star starter. Despite all the talent that could make All-Star weekend so much fun to watch, the ratings are still low and complaints still exist for the event that brings together the best basketball players in the world.

The NBA has regularly changed the format of the All-Star Game in recent years, and they’re doing it again in 2025. In this article, we’ll explain what’s different.

When and where is All-Star Weekend 2025?

All-Star Weekend is February 14-16, and the All-Star Game itself takes place on Sunday, February 16 at 8pm ET. The main event will be at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Other All-Star events will take place throughout Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area.

*Watch out for NBA All-Star Game live on fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

All-Star Game format

The voting process for the All-Star game has not changed. Five players will be honored as starters from each conference, with 24 players filling out All-Star rosters in total. When it comes to choosing the starters, the fans have 50% of the voting power. Twenty-five percent of the votes come from active players, with the media panel also having a 25% voting weight. The remaining seven reserves from each conference are selected by head coaches across the league.

The the format of the game itself is much different than in past years. We’ve seen captains pick players from around the league before, regardless of conference. The Elam Ending was used for games starting in 2020, and the NBA reverted to a typical Eastern vs. Western Conference matchup last year.

The new format will be a four-team mini-tournament. Four teams of eight players each will compete in shortened games up to 40 points. It will be a three-game tournament, with the third game serving as the championship clash.

The three teams will consist exclusively of All-Star players drafted by Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. The fourth team, managed by Candace Parker, will be filled with players from the Rising Stars Challenge championship team.

The four coaches needed for the event will come from the top-scoring teams in each conference. There is a prize pool for the winners totaling $1.8 million, meaning each winning player can earn $125,000, while each runner-up team will earn $25,000.

The stakes are higher than ever before, so the NBA hopes the competition and effort will be higher than they have been in recent years. Recently, the All-Star Game was nothing more than a glorified dunk contest, as players played defenseless to avoid injury.

The 10 All-Star starters will be announced at 7:00 PM ET on Thursday, January 23rd, while the reserves will be announced on January 30th. In addition to the All-Star game itself, there will also be a game of celebrities and rising stars. Challenge on Friday, February 14. On Saturday, February 15, there will also be a skills contest, three-point contest and dunk contest.

The NBA is doing everything it can to establish the significance of the All-Star Game. Some players, namely Kevin Durant, expressed their criticism though via the latest format. Only time will tell if it will be a hit or another format spinoff.