The NBA is seriously considering turning the All-Star Game into a four-team tournament, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
The proposed changes would take effect starting with this season’s All-Star weekend, which will take place in San Francisco at the Chase Center, Golden State’s home arena, from Feb. 14-16.
Instead of the typical two teams with 12 players each, the 24 All-Stars would be separated into three teams of eight players apiece, Charania explains. The fourth team would be the winner of the Rising Stars competition. The tournament would feature two rounds, with the victors of round one (Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4) advancing to the final.
While the plans have not yet been finalized, all signs point to the league eventually implementing the changes, two sources tell Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).
According to Charania, NBA officials discussed the proposed format on Friday with the Competition Committee, which consists of team governors, executives, coaches, players and union personnel. The league has been discussing format changes with team officials and players for several months, and the four-team tournament quickly became the most popular plan.
Commissioner Adam Silver stated a couple weeks ago that the league was looking for a new All-Star format after last season’s contest in Indianapolis was universally panned for its lack of defense and abundance of long three-point shots. The East defeated the West 211-186 in a listless affair despite a plea from league executive Joe Dumars to take the game seriously and put forth a better effort.
“We’re looking at other formats,” Silver said. “I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”
As Reynolds writes in a full story, the new format is similar to what has been used for the Rising Stars event in recent years. That four-team tournament features a target score for both the semifinal and final.
What’s less clear is how the All-Star voting process would work, according to Reynolds, who notes that at least one more coach would likely be needed as well.
Charania hears the most popular All-Star event from last season, the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA three-point shootout between Warriors guard Stephen Curry and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, will likely return in February, though it may be tweaked to include more players. Sources tell Charania that Mavericks wing Klay Thompson and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark are among the candidates to join Curry and Ionescu.