The NBA All-Star Game is going global.
Well, sort of.
The NBA changed the format of its much-scrutinized All-Star Game yet again, with Sunday’s exhibition set to feature a USA vs. World competition for the first time.
It’s an overhaul that has been rumored for years, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver hopeful that playing for national pride will serve as a motivator for the All-Stars.
Here’s everything you need to know before the new-look event tips off at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome on Sunday evening.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The talent pool includes the initial 25 All-Stars who were voted in, plus three injury replacements. That group was split into three teams, with each including at least eight players.
Two of the teams — USA Stars and USA Stripes — are made up of top U.S. players, while a third, World, is composed of international NBA stars.
The teams will each face each other in a round-robin tournament, with each game lasting 12 minutes.
The top two teams from the round-robin round will then play each other in the All-Star Championship, which will be another 12-minute game.
WHO IS PLAYING?
The USA Stripes roster includes veterans Jalen Brunson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Brandon Ingram and De’Aaron Fox.
Stephen Curry is also part of that team but will not play due to injury.
USA Stars features a younger roster made up of Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Duren, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Johnson.
Ingram and Fox were both injury replacements.
The World team includes Karl-Anthony Towns, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun, Jamal Murray, Deni Avdija and Norman Powell.
In a blow to the World team, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will both miss the game due to injury.
Sengun was an injury replacement.
WHY THE CHANGE?
The global format was inspired partly by the Ryder Cup and partly by the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, a nine-day tournament between the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden that replaced last year’s NHL All-Star Game and earned rave reviews.
Historically, the NBA All-Star Game pitted the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference, but interest in that format waned as defense and effort became increasingly sparse.
In recent editions, the rosters were drafted by James, Durant and Antetokounmpo in an attempt to shake things up. Some years featured a “target score” that was based on what happened in the first three quarters.
And last year’s event introduced a four-team tournament, with the winner of each game being the first to score 40.
That format improved the effort level but still left critics feeling empty, especially because some All-Stars played in only one short game. Brunson, for example, played just eight minutes before his team was eliminated.
Whether the USA vs. World format yields better competition will be determined Sunday.
“You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they’re going to compete,” Durant said recently.
“If you look at Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic now, let’s go back and look at what they do in the All-Star Game. Is that competition? So we haven’t questioned what they’ve been doing, but we’re going to question the old heads and the Americans.”
KNICKS IN THE MIX
Sunday is set to mark the third consecutive All-Star appearance for Brunson, who was named a starter for the second year in a row.
Brunson is averaging 27.0 points and 6.1 assists per game for the 35-20 Knicks.
Towns, meanwhile, is an All-Star for the third year in a row and the sixth time overall. Towns is averaging 19.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.
Although Towns was born and raised in New Jersey, the 7-footer is part of the Dominican Republic national team and will thus be competing for the World on Sunday.
Brunson and Towns are also competing in Saturday night’s Shooting Stars Challenge, along with Allan Houston, for Team Knicks. That event is a shooting competition featuring four teams made up of current and former All-Stars.
ALL-STAR SATURDAY
No other Knicks will compete in All-Star Saturday, which is also set to include the 3-point and slam dunk contents.
The 3-point contest competitors include Damian Lillard — who is rehabbing from an Achilles tear — Maxey, Mitchell, Booker, Murray, Powell, Bobby Portis Jr. and standout rookie Kon Knueppel.
The dunk contest features Jaxson Hayes, Carter Bryant, Keshad Johnson and Jase Richardson, all of whom will be making their debuts in the event.
The rookie Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, who won back-to-back dunk contests in 2002 and 2003.
