The annual midseason showcase returns, but with a new format of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. The traditional East vs West matchup has been waved goodbye and a mini-tournament has taken its place. On Sunday, February 16, four teams will clash at the Golden State Warriors’ home, Chase Center, in San Francisco at 8 pm (ET) or 1 am (UK time).
Recently, the All-Star Game has faced some criticism for its lack of intensity which has let down fans. To overcome this, the new format has a brisk and action-packed style that will aspire to bring back excitement to the game. This guide covers all the details you need to know before the All-Star weekend begins. Let’s get right into it.
NBA All-Stars Game Format: How It Works
According to the new format, the 24 NBA All-Star selections will be split into three teams of eight players. TNT Analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith did this drafting on February 6.
Candace Parker is serving as the honorary general manager for the fourth team which will consist of the winners of the Rising Stars Competition. Top first- and second-year NBA players will be part of Team Candace’s Rising Stars.
The matchups for the mini-tournament will be as follows:
Game 1: Kenny’s Young Stars vs. Chuck’s Global Stars
Game 2: Shaq’s OGs vs. Candace’s Rising Stars
Game 3 (Championship): Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
The four teams will play games to 40 points, and there will be no clock, except for the shot clock. In the high-intensity games, the winner will be determined based on which team reaches or exceeds the 40 points first.
Teams of the All-Star Game
Here are all the teams of the 2025 All-Star Game:
Chuck’s Global Stars: Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Houston’s Alperen Sengun, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Trae Young (Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained an injury so Young replaced him)
Shaq’s OGs: Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving, Boston teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and the Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden (Dallas’ Anthony Davis sustained an injury so Irving replaced him)
Kenny’s Young Stars: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, Cleveland teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Miami’s Tyler Herro.
All-Star Game: Coaching, Prize Money and Betting Odds
It had been planned that the leading head coaches from the Eastern and Western Conferences would manage two of the All-Star teams, while their assistant coaches would manage the other two.
Looking at the best regular-season record of the Eastern and Western Conferences, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson and Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault were the leading coaches. They will manage two teams and their assistants will manage the other two.
The teams will battle for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Every player in the winning team will be awarded $125,000. The runner-up team will receive $50,000 for each player, while the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000 per player.
Let’s look at the betting odds as per 7bet:
| Team | Odds |
| Team Shaq’s OGs | 31/20 |
| Team Kenny’s Young Stars | 37/10 |
| Chuck’s Global Stars | 17/10 |
| Team Candace’s Rising Stars | 32/5 |
More info: 7bet
Please note that the odds are accurate as per the publishing time of the article. Make sure to check the odds before placing a bet.
Those who are interested in placing bets on other basketball matches, you can visit the 7bet betting page as our platform offers different betting options and offers.
All-Star Weekend Schedule
The All-Star weekend is a three-day event packed with a lot of excitement and, of course, basketballing action. Here is the full schedule:
Friday, Feb 14:
- NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, 12 am (UK time), Oakland Arena
- Rising Stars, 2 am (UK time), Chase Center
Saturday, Feb 15:
- NBA All-Star practice, 7 pm (UK time), Oakland Arena
- Morehouse College vs. Tuskegee University (NBA HBCU Classic), 10 pm (UK time), Oakland Arena
- All-Star Saturday Night, 1 am (UK time), Chase Center (Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, Dunk Contest)
Sunday, Feb 16:
- NBA All-Star Game, 1 am (UK time), Chase Center
The All-Star weekend will also light up with music as featured artists including DJ Cassidy, Too $hort, Saweetie, En Vogue and Raphael Saadiq, will perform on All-Star Sunday. H.E.R. and LiAngelo Ball will be performing for All-Star Saturday night, while the Rising Stars on Friday night will be introduced by Bay Area rapper LaRussell as he performs his original song.
This epic event endeavours to bring back the All-Star hype among the fans, while also providing a new intensive setting for the players. Only its outcome will determine whether this new format is here to stay.
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