NBA All-Star Weekend's new format, explained
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The NBA is again shaking up its All-Star game format, this time pitting U.S. and international players against each other.
Why it matters: The revamped format reflects the league's push to boost global reach and add competitiveness ahead of a wave of major global events landing in Los Angeles.
The big picture: All-Star Weekend, taking place Feb. 12-15, will mark the start of a 30-month stretch of major sporting events in LA, including the World Cup, Super Bowl and Summer Olympics.
State of play: The events, including the Rising Stars and Celebrity Game and the HBCU Classic, will primarily take place in Inglewood, between the Intuit Dome, Cosm, So-Fi stadium and the Kia Forum.
- Tickets are now on sale.
NBA Crossover, a four-day fan event, will be downtown at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
- There will be live music, watch parties, unique merchandise, more than 100 talent appearances and basketball games featuring players from the G League.
What they're saying: NBA head of events Kelly Flatow tells Axios the All-Star game is "where the world comes to play."
- "It feels fortuitous that we have an opportunity to develop programs that really engage our fans in a new way and bring this global celebration to life."
The new format
Sunday's main event will feature two teams of American players and one team of international players, the World team.
- Twelve players from each conference will be selected, as always, but this year's voting will ignore positions.
- Each team will have a roster of eight players.
How it works: The tournament will be round-robin style, featuring four 12-minute games.
- Game 1: Team A vs. Team B
- Game 2: Winner of Game 1 vs. Team C
- Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Team C
The top two teams by record will play in the championship.
- If all three teams have a 1-1 record after Game 3, the tiebreaker would be the point differential.
What's next: Fan voting for the All-Star roster usually opens in mid-December, but this year's date has not been announced.
