The NBA has been tinkering with the All-Star Game format since 2018, when the league eschewed the traditional East vs. West game for a draft format with teams captained by the league's biggest stars. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant served as captain for the 2021 and '22 editions of the game, facing off against LeBron James. As it turns out, he wasn't a fan of the format, which ran from 2018 to '23, and doesn't like what the NBA is doing with this year's game after a one-year return to East vs. West in 2024.
This year, the NBA's 24 All-Stars will be drafted into three teams by TNT's Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith on Feb. 6, and will play a four-team tournament, with the winner of Rising Stars game filling out the bracket. Players on the winning team will receive $125,000.
