The NBA is reforming the All-Star Game, relying on big names and a new format.
Next year, the league will switch from a duel of the league’s best players to a four-team mini-tournament. Three teams of eight players each are made up of the NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith compiled from a pool of 24 stars.
The fourth team to take part is the winner of the Rising Stars match. The choice of All-Stars remains unchanged; the voting is made up of votes from the fans (50 percent), the NBA professionals and the media (25 percent each). You can vote from January 20th.
First edition in San Francisco
The first edition of the new format will take place on February 16th Chase Center in San Francisco instead of. The winners of the two semi-finals advance to the final, with one game ending when the 40-point mark is exceeded.
The total prize money is $1.8 million. Members of the winning team each receive $125,000, while the players of the second-place team (each $50,000) and those of the team eliminated in the semi-finals (each $25,000) receive correspondingly less.