The NBA has announced a major format change for its upcoming All-Star Game, scheduled for February. For this 75th edition, the event will no longer be a single game, but a mini-tournament involving three teams .

The new format: USA vs. the Rest of the World

This new concept will feature:

1. Two teams composed exclusively of American players .
2. A team bringing together international players (the "World").

The tournament will consist of four 12-minute matches :

1. The three teams will first compete in a group stage.
2. The two best teams will then qualify for a final .

🌟 Player selection: End of positional obligation

Another important new feature concerns the selection of athletes:

1. The NBA will maintain a total of at least 24 selected players (12 per former Eastern Conference and 12 per Western Conference).
2. However, there will no longer be any positional requirements (point guard, shooting guard, small forward, etc.). Players will be chosen solely on merit, potentially allowing for any combination of talents to be fielded.

This development is welcomed by former players like Carmelo Anthony:

"The players are used to positionless basketball. You can see five guards on the court. I love the idea that the best players are selected for the All-Star Game."

🗳️ Voting process maintained

The selection mechanism for the 24 participants remains unchanged:

1. Officials (5 per conference): Designated by a vote combining fans , players and journalists .
2. Reserves (7 per conference): Selected by the NBA's head coaches .

Note: The assignment of American players to one team or the other will be specified later.

Team Guarantee: Adam Silver's Intervention

The league has also put in place a measure to ensure the formation of Team USA (minimum 16 players) and Team World (minimum 8 players). If the voting process fails to reach the minimum of 16 Americans and 8 international players, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will be able to select additional players to join either team to reach the required minimum.