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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

The NBA All-Star Game was meant to keep fans on the edge of their seats, with star players from both conferences clashing in an East vs. West showdown. But instead, there were criticisms about the lack of effort players were putting into the game. With the ratings dropping, they had to do something. Solution? The League commissioner, Adam Silver, came up with a plan. A change of format. Bringing in more entertainment and more drama. However, before making the drastic decision, he consulted Steph. And it raised eyebrows! The need?

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Silver had an answer for it. The discussion came up during an exclusive interview with Tim Kawakami of ‘The San Francisco Standard’. It all began with the journalist spilling that it was Curry who told him he wasn’t in favor of changing the format. Silver brought up the topic last offseason when Curry visited his office. But despite the Warriors star’s reluctance, they ultimately changed the format. seems Silver had his mind prepared.

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Silver explained that the reason for Curry’s involvement was because he needed to understand the players’ point of view regarding the change. “I think we know we have to partner with the players on the All-Star Game,” the 62-year-old told Tim. “We recognize you can’t turn the clock back. All-Star’s been reimagined in every major league sport at this point. And I wanted to take the opportunity of Steph stopping by to say, ‘What’s the format that you would like to see that you think other All-Star players would like to see to create more of an entertaining and competitive game for the fans?'”

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And Curry shared his honest views. “He said from his standpoint that maybe breaking up the game a bit, shorter games, multiple games, he thought was certainly of interest to him and he thought would be of interest to other players as well,” Silver added. But there was more to it that the commissioner revealed.

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Another former Warriors star besides Stephen Curry had a say in the new format

Of course, Silver wouldn’t ask only players for their suggestions. Another Warriors star was involved as well. That was Curry’s former teammate, who made a huge contribution in the format change. While elaborating on the matter, Silver disclosed, “So we spoke to Steph, we spoke to many other perennial All-Stars, worked directly with Andre Iguodala at the Players Association, and came up with a format that I’m very hopeful will work.”

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For those of you who are still unaware of the new format for the 2025 All-Star Game, don’t worry, we will break it down. So, the classic East vs. West clash won’t be happening this year. Instead, four teams will play it, making it more like a mini-tournament. There will be two semifinal matchups and the winners will advance to the final championship game. Sounds fun, right? Well, there’s more!

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Since they will play multiple games in one day, organizers will keep them short to preserve the players’ energy. So, how does it work? A team will be declared the winner once they score 40 points. They took some of Curry’s points into consideration, like reducing the minutes, but with a twist. We will know soon whether this works out, and perhaps then Steph can give better feedback to Silver.

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Shalini Ray

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Shalini Ray is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports, dedicated to delivering in-depth analysis, news, and insights on all things basketball. With a passion for the game and its stories, she creates engaging content for fellow fans and enthusiasts. A vocal supporter of Steph Curry and Luka Doncic, her love for sports also transcends the hardboard reaching the soccer fields and tennis courts. Her interest in crime thrillers, craft and fashion provides her with a unique blend of perspectives that can be keen-eyed and funky at the same time.

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Md Saba Ahmed

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