NBA unveils three-team U.S. vs. World format for 2025 All-Star Game
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The NBA on Tuesday night detailed a sweeping redesign of its All-Star Game, reintroducing a “United States vs. the World” concept built around three eight-player teams instead of the traditional two.
Under the plan, two rosters will feature American players while a third will be composed of international stars. The league will still name 24 All-Stars—five starters and seven reserves from each conference—but several key rules governing those selections are changing.
How players will be chosen
The voting process remains the same: fans, media and players pick the starters, and coaches select the reserves. However, positional designations are gone. The five highest vote-getters overall will start, and the next seven will fill out the bench, regardless of position.
Commissioner Adam Silver will step in if the initial pool does not include at least 16 Americans and eight internationals. For example, a 14-American, 10-international split would prompt Silver to add two U.S. players, while an 18-6 scenario would require two additional international selections.
Game structure and timing
All-Star Weekend is set for Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome, beginning Friday, Feb. 13. The game itself moves to 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT—earlier than the traditional 8 p.m. slot—to fit NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympic Games and will follow a Team USA hockey broadcast.
The contest will still feature four 12-minute quarters, but the first three will operate as round-robin segments in which each squad plays twice. The final quarter will pit the two teams with the best records; if all three finish 1-1, point differential will determine the finalists.
This season marks NBC’s return as All-Star broadcaster after more than two decades on TNT, a change negotiated in the league’s new media rights agreement.
Source: ESPN
