The city of Chicago will host the annual NBA All-Star game on February 16th. But things won’t be exactly the same this year. Recently, the NBA announced changes to the All-Star game format to honor Kobe Bryant. The rule changes are just one of the league’s many planned tributes for the nine victims in Sunday’s helicopter crash. Plus, the 14 final reserve players were selected Thursday. Here’s what to expect at this year’s NBA All Star-Game.
New All-Star Game Format
As a tribute to Kobe Bryant and his No. 24 jersey, this year’s NBA All-Star game will have a new format, in which the teams will play three 12-minute quarters and then an untimed fourth quarter. The first team to reach the target score in the fourth quarter will earn a prize for their selected Chicago community organization. Some of these same organizations even collaborated with Jordan Brand for the NBA All-Star game.
For specific details on the new format of the NBA All Star game, see the NBA’s official announcement below.
Who’s In? Who’s Out?
This year’s NBA All-Star game is loaded with talent. Some teams have their notable snubs (like Zach Lavine), but these rosters have plenty of young stars. Most notably Trae Young and Luka Doncic, who will battle it out as starters. See the full NBA All Stars teams below.
Eastern Conference Starters
Trae Young | Atlanta Hawks
Kemba Walker | Boston Celtics
Pascal Siakam | Toronto Raptors
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Captain) | Milwaukee Bucks
Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers
Eastern Conference Reserves
Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler | Miami Heat
Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors
Khris Middleton | Milwaukee Bucks
Domantas Sabonis | Indiana Pacers
Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers
Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics
Western Conference Starters
James Harden | Houston Rockets
Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks
Kawhi Leonard | LA Clippers
LeBron James (Captain) | Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference Reserves
Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz
Brandon Ingram | New Orleans Pelicans
Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets
Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers
Donovan Mitchell | Utah Jazz
Chris Paul | Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook | Houston Rockets
The NBA All-Star game is scheduled to tip-off on February 16th at 7:00 PM CST.
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Featured Image Credit: NBA All-Star Weekend Instagram