It's no secret that the NBA All-Star game has fallen flat in the last few seasons, with the league's annual celebration of top-tier talent struggling to capture the competitive spirit it was once known for.
The NBA has tried to fix this in a number of ways recently; they introduced a playground-style team selection system, and also implemented the 'Elam Ending' to games, but both changes did little to improve the long-term outlook of the game.
But the league is now preparing for its most dramatic tweak yet, in an attempt to truly bring back tough games to All-Star Weekend.
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NBA set for major All-Star Game shakeup
According to ESPN, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be composed of four teams of eight, and will feature a knock-out tournament style.
Three of these teams will be made up of the 2024-25 season All-Stars, with the fourth being the winning Rising Stars team, in what the NBA hopes is an incentive for players to more wholly commit to the experience.
Both semi-finals will be played first to 40 points, with the final being first to 25, a fast-paced and high-intensity affair.
While the details still need to be ironed out, it seems certain that this year's All-Star festivities in San Francisco will look drastically different to previous years.
"We're looking at other formats," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month.
"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... not [just] a traditional game format."
This season's NBA All-Star game will take place on February 16 at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors.
