NBA reveals plans to revamp All-Star Game

"The NBA has officially unveiled a major revamp to its All-Star Game, confirming that the event will return to a "United States versus the World" format while also introducing a three-team setup featuring eight players per side. Two of those teams will represent American players, with the third made up entirely of international stars. While the fundamentals of the selection process remain familiar, with fans, players, and media members voting for the starters and coaches choosing the reserves, several key adjustments have been introduced. Most notably, positional designations have been scrapped entirely. Previously, starting line-ups were composed of two backcourt and three frontcourt players, while the reserves followed a similar structure plus two wild cards. Under the new system, the top five vote-getters overall will start, regardless of their position, while the next seven players in voting will serve as reserves, again, position-free."

"To address potential imbalances between American and international players, the league has introduced a safeguard. If the final 24-player pool doesn't naturally produce 16 Americans and eight international players, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will step in to add extra players to reach those minimum thresholds. For example, if voting yields 14 Americans and 10 internationals, Silver would add two more Americans. Conversely, if there are 18 Americans and six internationals, two international players would be named to balance the numbers."

The NBA All-Star Game will use a United States versus World format with three teams: two U.S. teams and one team of international players, each featuring eight players. The on-court competition will be a round-robin tournament consisting of four 12-minute games. Starters and reserves will be selected by fan, player and media voting for starters and coaches choosing reserves, but positional designations have been eliminated. The top five vote-getters overall will start and the next seven will be reserves, independent of position. A safeguard requires a minimum 16 Americans and eight international players in the 24-player pool, with the commissioner authorized to add players to meet those thresholds.

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