NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently broached the idea, and now it’s happening.
The league will indeed return to an East vs. West format for the All-Star Game, beginning this season in Indianapolis, Silver told the media.
Silver is attending the Pacers’ home opener to discuss the All-Star weekend festivities.
For the past several seasons, the NBA has used a “team captains” format, in which two players picked the teams, regardless of conference. That will no longer be the case, as the league turns to its original format.
It is also doing away with the “target score” format of the four quarters.
The All-Star Game has drawn criticism over the past several years for its lack of competitiveness and stat-stuffing. Both Silver and NBA director of basketball operation Joe Dumars have indicated they are hoping to change that this season.
“We’re looking at some potential changes in format in Indianapolis this year,” Silver said on First Take, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Maybe a return to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented. We went to sort of this captain and draft notion, but clearly historically it was East versus West. So that’s maybe something we are looking at.”
The NBA today announced changes to the format for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers. pic.twitter.com/nhb3A51fC2
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 25, 2023
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