The NBA recently announced a significant change in format of the All-Star Game for the 2025 editionintroducing a four-team tournament in place of the traditional East vs. West game. This decision aims to increase the competitiveness of the event, which has received criticism in recent years for a lack of intensity from players.
Kevin Durant, 14 volte All-Star, expressed his disappointment with these changes. In an interview, he stated:
“I absolutely hate this change, it’s terrible. The ever-changing format of the All-Star Game is, in my opinion, bad. We should just go back to the East vs. West classic and play a real game. I think we’re trying to bring some glamor back to All-Star weekend, but we should keep the tradition.”
The new format includes the selection of 24 All-Stars, along with the winning team of the Rising Stars tournament, made up of rookies and sophomores. The teams will be led by former NBA players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. Games will be played with a target score of 40 points, without a traditional playing time.
Despite the intent to make the event more exciting, some players share Durant’s concerns. Damian Lillardfor example, pointed out that the main problem lies in the lack of commitmentstating that a change in format may not resolve the issue.
The NBA introduced a prize pool of 1.8 million dollars to encourage competitivenesswith players on the winning team receiving $125,000 each. However, it remains to be seen whether these financial incentives will be enough to motivate participants and meet fan expectations. THE’All-Star Game 2025we remember, will be held February 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
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