The NBA All-Star Game is returning to its roots in the upcoming matchup in Indianapolis, marking a departure from the format of the past six seasons. The traditional Eastern Conference versus Western Conference showdown will replace the All-Star Draft, where players like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Kevin Durant picked teams in a playground-style selection.
The game will also abandon the Elam Ending, a unique feature introduced to the All-Star Game, where the fourth quarter had no time limit and concluded when a team reached the “final target score.”
The teams will consist of 12 players from each conference, with team captains determined through fan voting among the five starters on each team. In the latest round of voting, updated on Jan. 18, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James were leading the fan vote in the East and West, respectively. Other top vote-getters included Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokić, and Jayson Tatum.
While the return to the traditional format may seem like a practical move to inject more competitiveness into the All-Star Game, the league initially had similar intentions when it introduced the draft format in 2018. Despite the entertaining aspect of players like LeBron James forming teams against stars like Stephen Curry, Durant, or Antetokounmpo, it did not significantly address the issue of lackluster competition.
The competitive challenges during the All-Star Game persist, with players often focusing less on defense and intensity. The absence of stakes in the game remains, and it remains to be seen whether this latest change will impact the competitive nature of the event during the festive weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in February.
