Another year, another change to the All-Star Game.
After six years, the NBA has rid the game of its draft, which allowed captains to choose their teams regardless of conference. It wasn’t a surprising change — commissioner Adam Silver hinted at it months before the announcement — but disappointing nonetheless.
The game now returns to its traditional format of East vs. West. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain their respective conferences, made of players voted into the All-Star Game.
Additionally, the NBA decided to eliminate the Elam Ending, the untimed fourth quarter that ends when a team hits the final target score.
Why did the league get rid of the All-Star Draft in the first place? The Sporting News has it covered.
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What happened to the NBA All-Star Draft?
Per the NBA press release, the return of the traditional All-Star format is in part of Indiana’s “deep roots” with basketball.
“The theme this year is, ‘Back to basketball,'” Silver told reporters the day of the announcement.
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
The NBA established the All-Star Draft in 2018 as a way to encourage more competition. The game features notably less defense with players reserving themselves out of injury risk. With the draft, the idea was to encourage more well-rounded and competitive teams.
What they got was the opposite. In 2023, Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron by a final score of 184-175, led by 55 points from Jayson Tatum. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who coached Team LeBron, said afterward that it was “the worst basketball game ever played.”
Additionally, tampering became a topic of conversation around the All-Star Draft. In 2019, James’ selection strategy raised eyebrows, as he chose players who were in trade rumors or soon-to-be free agents. It worked, and Anthony Davis was later traded from the Pelicans to the Lakers where he became teammates with James.
👀 pic.twitter.com/ApOTmabC70
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 8, 2019
In 2023, Antetokounmpo used his first reserve pick to draft then-Trailblazer Damian Lillard. We know what happened eight months later.
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Sure, if players want to recruit others to their team, they can do it without the draft. The change isn’t completely because of tampering. With players choosing their own teams, the All-Star Game somehow became even less competitive — the off-court draft drama became the most entertaining part of the weekend.
