The NBA will be returning to its traditional All-Star format this season in Indianapolis, the league announced Wednesday. That means that the NBA will no longer hold an All-Star Draft and will instead revert to the old Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.
In addition, the league will axe the Elam Ending format that it adopted in 2020. That ending set a target score at the beginning of the fourth quarter which was 24 points above the leading team's total. The team to reach that target first would win the game. Instead, the league will play a traditional game with four 12-minute quarters. The team with more points at the end of 48 minutes will be the winner, though the two sides will also play for charity, with the winner of each quarter earning money for their chosen charity.
The selection process for the 24 All-Stars will remain the same. Fans will still be able to vote on their choices, with the final selection of starters coming down to a combination of fan, media and player voting. The coaches will then decide on the reserves, and the commissioner will name any necessary injury replacements.
The East vs. West format began all the way back in 1951, but the league sensed it needed a shakeup after the games began to grow stale and the players offered less than maximum effort. So, in 2018, they adopted the draft format and, in 2020, they added the Elam Ending to go along with it. Both additions were largely well received, especially the Elam Ending, which produced a classic All-Star Game in 2020. However, the 2023 event was widely derided for the effort given by players, and, now, the league returns to a format that wasn't exactly working when they dropped it several years ago.
