NBA Fans Upset Over New All-Star Game Format Featuring 4 Teams

Source: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty

NBA ratings are way down—28% on ESPN alone—and Commissioner Adam Silver may have found a way to solve the problem.

Not only has regular season viewership tanked, but one of the first signs fans got a boring product was the All-Star game, and that’s where Silver is pinpointing his first wave of reinvigoration.

The front office has toyed with the East vs West and team captain methods for years, but they haven’t gone over well. So, now they’re changing the format to feature four teams, each consisting of eight players.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports it’s “pick-up inspired. ” In the semifinals, the teams will play to whoever scores 40 points first, hoping it will be a “fresh and creative path forward.” The two winning teams will meet in the Finals, and the first to 25 wins the whole thing.

The league’s attempt to (finally) shake things up will hopefully move them from playing uninspired defense, shooting logo threes, and dunking when there’s no one in the lane. But hopefully, playing with more energy and grit doesn’t come with a greater risk of injury.

The need for reinvention was never more apparent than in the 2024 All-Star game when the East defeated the West 211-186 in the highest-scoring All-Star Game in the NBA’s history.

Now, because of the single-elimination format, the competition should be even more exciting to watch.

The shake-up shouldn’t come as a complete surprise because Silver said last week he’s been speaking with Steph Curry about how to breathe new energy into the game, floating that it’s looking at making the game “not a traditional game format.”

“We’re looking at other formats,” Silver said. “I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”

There’s no word whether other weekend events, such as the Skill Competition, Slam Dunk Contest, or the often-forgotten celebrity game on Friday night, will be refreshed.

But for now, see how NBA fans are feeling about the new wave in the All-Star game below.