The NBA All-Star Game could have a drastically changed look with changes being considered for the league’s exhibition weekend in San Francisco in February.
ESPN reported Friday that a four-team format is being considered for the weekend mini-tournament.
Instead of the East vs. West, the NBA All-Stars will be divided into three groups. Those teams would wait for the winner of the Rising Stars Game to complete the four-team field, with the semi-final and final round.
The report stated that the NBA has been considering this plan for at least six months.
The game’s competitiveness has been in question for a long time, with the All-Star Game itself receiving rules overhauls in recent years. Beginning in 2020-23, the game was played to a goal in the fourth quarter, but that format was abandoned last season.
Last year’s All-Star Game in Indianapolis was a hot one after the Eastern Conference earned a 211-186 victory over the Western Conference. It was the first time in All-Star Game history that the winning team scored 200 points, and the 397 points total was a game record.
Another consideration is the expansion of the 3-point shooting contest that took place between Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Sabrina Ionescu of the WNBA’s New York Liberty which Curry won. Former Warriors sharpshooter and current Dallas Mavericks player Klay Thompson could be added to that format along with Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.
–Field Level Media
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