NBA announces All-Star Game starters, with 1st version of U.S. vs. The World format now on its way

The NBA has announced the starters for the 2025 All-Star Game, which will feature a new three-team format pitting a World team against two U.S. teams. The likely World team starters include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama. The likely U.S. team starters are Stephen Curry, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown.

The starters were selected through a weighted voting system: 50% fan vote, 25% media panel, and 25% player vote. Luka Doncic received the most fan votes with approximately 3.4 million. Victor Wembanyama secured the final Western Conference starter spot over Anthony Edwards based on a fan vote tiebreaker.

The All-Star Game will be a round-robin tournament on February 15th, featuring three 12-minute mini-games. Team A plays Team B, the winner plays Team C, and the loser of the first game also plays Team C. The two teams with the best records will advance to a 12-minute championship game, with point differential serving as a tiebreaker if needed.

This marks the debut of the U.S. vs. World format, a concept discussed for years. The new structure was designed to renew interest in the event. With three teams of at least eight players each, at least 15 players will technically "start" in the tournament, meaning some players not announced as starters will begin games on February 15th.

The league will still name 14 reserves selected by coaches. The fate of LeBron James's record All-Star selection streak will now be determined by coaches or possibly Commissioner Adam Silver.