The NBA announced a new format for the NBA All-Star 2020 Weekend. This new format aims towards making every quarter count for charity. It will also honour NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who recently died in a helicopter crash. Heres a look at the recent changes to the NBA All-Star Weekend.

NBA All-Star: The Original Format

The All-Star Game was first played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.

The idea of holding an All-Star Game was conceived during a meeting between NBA President Maurice Podoloff, NBA publicity director Haskell Cohen and Boston Celtics owner Walter A. Brown. At that time, the basketball world had just been stunned by the college basketball point-shaving scandal.

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In order to regain public attention to the league, Cohen suggested the league to host an exhibition game featuring the league’s best players, similar to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. Although most people, including Podoloff, were pessimistic about the idea, Brown remained confident that it would be a success, and he even offered to host the game and to cover all the expenses or potential losses incurred from the game. In the first All-Star Game, the Eastern All-Stars team defeated the Western All-Stars team 111–94.

The 2017 Format Change: No more East Vs. West

The NBA All-Star format was revised after the 2017 season. The change to the game was part of a push by Chris Paul, serving as the president of the NBPA, according to a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“I’m thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us. We’re looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A.,” Paul said.

The league implemented changes in its voting system last season, reducing fan voting totals to weigh 50 per cent in All-Star starter results. Both the players and media were given a 25 per cent share of the vote last season for the first time in league history. To sum up, the major changes were as follows:

• There will still be 12 players from each conference.
• Each conference will still get five starters.
• The captains will pick from the pool of 10 starters first, then the pool of 14 reserves.
• The draft will not be televised.

For the 2018 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, the East and West All-Star teams were dissolved. Team captains were to select the teams regardless of what conference players play in, according to a press release from the NBA.

The 2020 Format Change: Charity and Kobe Bryant

The NBA recently announced that it was once again revising the NBA All-Star 2020 format. This change comes in the wake of NBA Legend Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. It aims to increase the level of competition throughout the game and provide additional excitement at the finish. It will make the outcome of every quarter count for charity. The changes include a new fourth-quarter format that will honour the late Kobe Bryant.