NBA All-Star Game 2025: Rules, Rosters and Draft Results for New Tournament Format
The NBA's All-Star Weekend has arrived, and fans will be treated to a little something new in 2025. In addition to having teams selected by a draft—this time by former NBA stars and media personalities Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal—the league is introducing a tournament format.
That's right, when the festivities kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, fans will get to enjoy three games instead of just one.
The tournament will cap a thrilling weekend that will also feature Friday's Rising Stars Challenge, Friday's All-Star Celebrity Game and Saturday's skills challenge.
Here's everything you need to know about the new rules, the format and the schedule for the 2025 All-Star tournament.
2025 All-Star Weekend
1 of 3
Friday, February 14
7 p.m. ET: NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on ESPN
9 p.m. ET: Castrol Rising Stars Challenge on TNT
Saturday, February 15
2 p.m. ET: NBA All-Star Practice on NBA TV
5 p.m. ET: NBA HBCU Classic: Morehouse College vs. Tuskegee University on NBA TV
8 p.m. ET: State Farm All-Star Saturday Night (skills challenge) on TNT
Sunday, February 16
8 p.m. ET: 74th NBA All-Star Game on TNT
NBA All-Star Draft
2 of 3
Sunday's tournament will feature four teams, with the fourth being determined by Friday's Rising Stars Game (more on that shortly). The other three teams were selected via a draft earlier this month.
Inside the NBA commentators Barkley, Smith and O'Neal all served as general managers and selected from a pool of 24 players who were voted as starters and reserves for the All-Star lineup.
What was interesting about the draft was the fact that each GM opted for a theme. O'Neal drafted mostly older players for his "OGs" squad, while Barkley drafted international players for his "Global Stars" unit. Smith focused primarily on younger players for his "Young Stars" squad.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was the first overall pick in the draft, while Minnesota Timberwolves standout Anthony Edwards and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić were the first selections of their respective teams.
The initial rosters were as follows:
We've only seen minor changes since the draft unfolded. Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks were added as injury replacements on Monday, joining the Global Stars and OGs respectively.
Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dončić are not expected to participate for injury or health reasons.
Fans will still see many of their favorites, including James, Edwards, Stephen Curry and Victor Wembanyam, in a tournament with bragging rights—and a bit of cash—on the line.
Tournament Format and Rules
3 of 3
As previously mentioned, the All-Star tournament will feature a fourth team. It will be the winner of Friday's Rising Stars tournament.
This will mark the fourth year in which the Rising Stars event will feature a three-game tournament. Teams filled with NBA rookie and sophomores, along with G-League players will vie for a chance to battle the vets on Sunday.
The Rising Stars team will be managed by WNBA legend Candace Parker.
Barkley's Global Stars will face Smith's Young Stars in Sunday's first matchup. O'Neal's OGs will face Parker's Rising Stars in the second. Teams will play to 40 points, with the first to reach that mark earning a spot in the final.
Fans who have followed the Rising Stars Challenge in recent years will be familiar with the format. For everyone else, it might seem to be a major departure from traditional NBA All-Star games. It is, and that was by design.
The All-Star Game has lost some of its luster in recent years, as fans—and even some players—have been less than thrilled with its high-scoring, defense-optional style of play.
'I've talked to Steph [Curry] and many of the perennial All-Stars, none of them were proud of what you saw last year," NBA commissioner Adam Silver told KNBR (h/t Eva Geltheim of SI.com). "I think they all recognize that the fans want to be entertained by the style of basketball they see on the floor. I'm hopeful for this year. We can get something that can be really fun and exciting for fans to watch."
With a definitive scoring goal set, defense may be back. Shorter games and a tournament format may also add a bit of intensity, which has been lacking in recent years.
The themes of the rosters also add an interesting twist. While the All-Star contest won't officially be "USA vs. the World" or "Old vs. New," fans will get a taste of such matchups along the wary.
Players will be vying for bragging rights and some extra cash. Each winning player will receive $125,000, while players on the runners-up will receive $50,000 and players from the third and fourth place teams will earn $25,000.
Whether any of this helps All-Star Weekend return to being the marquee event it once was remains to be seen. However, Silver and the NBA deserve credit for at least trying something new.
.png?w=480)
