during the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center on February 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
The NBA All-Star Game is getting a serious makeover, and it’s going to be pretty epic for all the right reasons.
First things first, team captains will be involved, which means the game will no longer be the Eastern Conference vs. the Western Conference. Plus, and this is the really cool part, a charity element will be added.
Here’s what fans can look forward to (via ESPN):
The NBA All-Star Game is switching formats this season, as two captains will select the teams without regard to which conferences the players play in, the league announced Tuesday.
The players who win the fan vote from each conference will be the captains.
There will still be 12 players selected from each conference for the game in Los Angeles on Feb. 18. Five players from each conference will be selected as starters, with the fan vote being worth 50 percent, player vote worth 25 percent and media vote worth 25 percent. Seven reserves for each team will be picked by each conference’s head coaches.
The new system will enable players from each conference to play against each other and will allow current teammates to face off. Starters will be picked first, so the 10 players voted in as starters will remain that way.
As for the charity aspect, here’s what the ESPN article linked above had to say: “There will also be a new charity element added to this season’s game. Each team will select a national or Los Angeles-area charity where donations from the game will be directed.”
If you’re looking for all of the changes, then look no further than the tweet below.
All the details on the NBA All-Star Game changes … pic.twitter.com/gmMWRDD2y0
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 3, 2017
NBA All-Star Weekend 2018 will be hosted in Los Angeles from Friday, Feb. 16 to Sunday, Feb. 18.
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