The NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 is just around the corner and fans can expect something exciting! This year, there won’t be the East vs West matchup as the iconic exhibition match is making some major changes. In the new format, the event will feature a mini-tournament with four teams, each comprising eight players.
There are some more changes to look forward to. Below, we give you all the details, including the UK Schedule, and where to watch.
NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 New Format
Golden State Warriors are hosting the 74th NBA All-Star Weekend at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Last year, we witnessed some record-breaking moments in the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend held in Indianapolis. The East defeated the West 211-186, setting new scoring records. Damian Lillard dropped 39 points with 11 three-pointers to snag the MVP award and became the first player since Michael Jordan to win both the three-point contest and the All-Star MVP in the same year.
This year, several top players are in the running for the final teams. Here’s what the revamped format looks like now:
Four teams instead of two
There are now four teams instead of the traditional East vs. West matchup. Each team will have eight players, offering a smaller, more competitive lineup.
TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith will pick the first three teams. They will act as the general manager of the three teams – Team Charles, Team Shaq, and Team Kenny. WNBA legend Candace Parker will manage the fourth team, which will be called Team Candace.
The four head coaches of this year’s NBA All-Star Game will come from the coaching staffs of teams that have been leading in regular season games in their conference until February 2. The head coach of the Eastern Conference’s top team will lead one All-Star team, and the head coach of the Western Conference’s top team will guide another All-Star team. Additionally, one assistant coach from the same staff will become the head coach of the Castrol Rising Stars champion team, and one assistant coach will lead the other team in the All-Star Game.
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has already been chosen as one of the four coaches.
Despite the new format, the voting process remains unchanged. The votes of fans, players, and a media panel will be used to pick the first five starters in each conference. The weightage of fans’ votes is 50%; current NBA players is 25%, and a media panel contributes 25%. NBA head coaches will select the reserves. Fan voting concluded on 20th January, and the NBA will likely announce the results soon.
Once the 24 All-Stars have been selected, they will be drafted into pools on 6th February.
Earning a spot in the All-Stars won’t be easy. However, with injuries to several candidates such as Paolo Banchero, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Kawhi Leonard, it will be interesting to watch the final selection.
Shorter game
This time, the teams will have a target score instead of a traditional clock-based system. Semifinal games will end when a team reaches 40 points, while the final game will be played for 50 points.
So, fans can expect to see quicker games with nonstop action.
Single game night
The schedule has been streamlined into a single-game night featuring mini-tournaments instead of the traditional one-game showdown between East and West.
On Sunday night (Monday morning 1 a.m. for UK residents), two teams will compete in semi-final 1 (game 1), and the remaining two will compete in semi-final 2 (game 2). The first team to score more than 40 points will be declared the winner of each game.
The winners of game 1 and game 2 will advance to the championship game (game 3), where they have to score 50 points to win.
Where to Watch the NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 in the UK
Dates: Friday, February 14 – Sunday, February 16
Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Where to watch: TNT Sports, Discovery+, and NBA app
NBA All-Star Weekend 2025: Schedule
Saturday, February 15
12 a.m. GMT | Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (Oakland Arena)
2 a.m. GMT | Castrol Rising Stars (Chase Center)
7 p.m. GMT | NBA All-Star Practice (Oakland Arena)
10 p.m. GMT | NBA HBCU Classic (Oakland Arena)
Sunday, February 16
1 a.m. GMT | State Farm All-Star Saturday Night (Chase Center)
- 1st Event: Kia Skills Challenge
- 2nd Event: Starry 3-Point Contest
- 3rd Event: AT&T Slam Dunk
Monday, February 17
1 a.m. GMT | 74th NBA All-Star Game (Chase Center)
- All-Star game semifinal (Game 1)
- All-Star game semifinal (Game 2)
- All-Star game final (Game 3)
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