The NBA All-Star game will be held on February 16, 2025, at San Francisco’s Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors home.
Dates
The NBA All-Star event features the league’s best players through one game and multiple events before the game. On Friday, February 14, the Rising Star tournament of the all-star weekend will showcase the talents of rookies and second-year NBA stars. Then there will also be a friendly celebrity game in Oakland Arena. The next day, Saturday, February 15, NBA stars go head to head in the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest, and the Dunk Contest. The last day of the all-star weekend is when the 74th NBA all-star game will happen.
Format
This year, the NBA has decided to change the format of the All-Star game. The format will feature a tournament style featuring 4 teams. There will be 24 all-stars split into 3 teams each team will be coached by one of the TNT analysts. Team Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), Team Kenny (Kenny Smith), and Team Chuck (Charles Barkley). These “coaches” have played in the NBA with Kenny and Shaq winning NBA championships. The last team that will play in the All-Star game is the winner of the Rising Star tournament. Former WNBA champion Candace Parker will coach the winning team.
The pool is $1.8 million. The winner of the NBA All-Star tournament will receive $125,000 per player. The runner-up team will receive $50,000 per player, and every other team eliminated from the tournament will earn $25,000 per player.
Eastern Conference
The players playing in the All-Star Game are the best of the best. In the Eastern Conference, the starters are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The reserves for the Eastern Conference are Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Darius Garland, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Damian Lillard, and Tyler Herro. The all-star coach of the Eastern Conference is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach, Kenny Atkinson.
In the Eastern Conference starters are the best of the conference. Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Milwaukee Bucks forward, 6’11, 243 lbs. He averages 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He’s played in the All-Star game seven times in his career.
Jayson Tatum, a 26-year-old Boston Celtics forward, 6’8, 210 lbs. He averages 26.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. He’s played in the All-Star game five times in his career.
New York Knicks’ star center, Karl-Anthony Towns is 7’0, 248 lbs, and is 29 years old. He averages 24.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. He’s played in the All-Star game four times in his career.
Jalen Brunson is one of two guards who plays for the New York Knicks with Towns. He’s 6’2, 190 lbs, and 28 years old. He averages 26 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. He’s played in the All-Star game two times in his career.
Donovan Mitchell, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s 6’3, 215 lbs, and 28 years old. He averages 23.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. He’s played in the NBA All-Star game six times over his seven-year career.
Western Conference
The Western Conference starters are Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Nikola Jokić, and LeBron James. The reserves are Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Jaren Jackson Jr., Alpharen Sengun, Jalen Williams, and Victor Wembanyama. Their coach is Mark Daigneault.
The starters of the Western Conference are what make the team strong. Beginning with the oldest player in the NBA, Lebron James is a forward who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s 6’9, and 260 lbs. He averages 24 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. He has appeared in the NBA All-Star game for a record 21 times in his career.
Stephen Curry is the star point guard of the Golden State Warriors. He is 6’2″, 185 lbs, and 36 years old. He averages 22.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. Throughout his long career, Curry has played in the NBA All-Star game 11 times.
Next, Kevin Durant, a Phoenix Suns forward. He is 6’11, 240 lbs, and 36 years old. He averages 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He has played 14 NBA All-Star games in his career.
Denver Nuggets’ center, Nikola Jokić. He’s 6’11, 284 lbs, and 29 years of age. He averages 29.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. In his career, he has played in 7 NBA All-Star games.
Last, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also known as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or SGA as his initials. He plays as a point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is 6’6, 195 lbs, and 26 years old. He averages 32.5 points per game, the best out of all the Western Conference starters, 5.2 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. SGA has played in the NBA 3 times in his 7-year career.
Teams
On February 6, the coaches of the all-star game drafted their players. Team Shaq will consist of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown. Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jalen Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr., Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Tyler Herro will play for Team Kenny. Finally, on Team Chuck are Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Pascal Siakam, Alpren Sengun, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Donovan Mitchell. The last team will still be the winner of the Rising Stars tournament coached by Candace Parker.
The annual All-Star weekend showcases the NBA’s best talents in the league. Through the events during the all-star weekend and the tournament itself, the professional basketball stars show the world what they do best.
Sources:
https://www.nba.com/