In 2025, the NBA changed the format of the all-star game. Last season, we saw the traditional East vs. West matchup. This year, there were three all-star teams with eight players.
On top of that, the winning team from the Rising Stars competition on Friday got to play in the all-star game on Sunday. Golden State’s Draymond Green voiced his displeasure with the rising stars playing in the all-star game. It’s an honor to be selected as an all-star. Meanwhile, there were rookies on the court playing against some of the league’s top talent.
Should the rising stars have played in the game on Sunday?
“I had to work so hard to play on Sunday night of All-Star Weekend. And because ratings are down and the game is bad, we’re bringing in rising stars. That’s not a fix.”
– Draymond 😳
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 17, 2025
For players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the all-star game is a yearly tradition. However, some have to work extremely hard to earn an all-star selection. Golden State’s Draymond Green knows the grind of starting from the bottom and making it to the top. Green was not named an all-star until the fourth year of his career. Over his 13 professional seasons, Green has been an all-star four times.
He was last named an all-star in 2021-22. Ahead of the all-star events on Sunday, Green voiced his frustrations with the format. The 34-year-old believes the rising stars should not have touched the court on Sunday. Playing in the all-star game is supposed to be something players have to work for. Meanwhile, rookies were sharing the floor with walking Hall of Famers. That doesn’t make any sense.
This was a test run to see how the bracket format played out during the all-star weekend. Besides the rising stars playing, the all-star game was more engaging than in years past. With the target score of 40, slightly more defense was being played. Compared to the dunks and three-point barrage we’ve seen. We’ll what adjustments Adam Silver makes for the game in 2026.
