In its 73rd edition, the NBA All-Star event series will take place in Indiana (USA) from February 17 to 19. This is a unique “party” held every February of the world’s biggest basketball tournament.

This year, the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and other events at Lucas Oil have many notable highlights.

Classic Rules Return

Since 2018, the NBA All-Star Game has changed to a random team format, with no East-West division. The roster is finalized based on votes from fans, media outlets, and NBA players. The rules of the game are determined to be 3 regular quarters (12 minutes) and a 4th quarter without time.

After years of maintaining the new format, the classic rules of the game return for the first time at NBA All-Star 2024, signaling a heated confrontation between the two American basketball regions. The traditional scoring system also returns with 4 quarters, each lasting 12 minutes. The only thing that remains unchanged is the goal of giving an advantage to the selected charities.

This was announced by the National Basketball Association Commissioner – Mr. Adam Silver – at a press conference in October 2023. This information made many longtime NBA fans both reminisce about the top matches of the past and look forward to the surprises that are about to happen.

Star Wars

This year, the two captains in the NBA All-Star Game are Giannis Antetokounmpo (East) and LeBron James (West). This is the 20th consecutive time “King James” has played in the NBA All-Star Game. At the age of 39, LeBron became the player with the most appearances in the history of the tournament, surpassing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

This is also the fourth time the two stars have faced off as captains in the All-Star Game. In the previous three times, James won in 2019 and 2020. Antetokounmpo “succeeded” in 2023.

In addition, the 2024 NBA All-Star also brings together a series of top basketball stars. The official lineup of the Western team includes Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic. The Eastern team has Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Jason Tatum and Trae Young (replacing the injured Joel Embiid).

The reserves are also worth waiting for with the return of “head chef” Stephen Curry (West team). Some names have the honor of participating in this year’s “super event” for the first time such as Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes are also eager to show themselves.

Curry – Ionescu and the “3-point shooting battle”

Stephen Curry is known as the best 3-point shooter in NBA history, with 3,624 successful shots. Sabrina Ionescu has also gradually asserted herself with 128 3-point shots in the WNBA (Women’s NBA) arena in the 2023 season.

The two will meet in this year’s 3-point shooting contest, a “one-of-a-kind” encounter that began with Ionescu’s social media “challenge” to her senior. At the time, she set a record of 37/40 points on the 3-point line.

Curry and Ionescu will shoot from the standard 3-point line in each league. The NBA’s 3-point line is 23’9” (7.23m), while the WNBA’s is 20’6” (6.24m). Each successful shot by both will help raise money for charities supporting the black community.

“Stage” for artists

Like every year, the NBA All-Star event is also an opportunity for artists and athletes from other sports to show their passion for basketball when they attend the “celebrity” match. All-Star 2024 is no exception and this time continues to have the participation of many prominent names.

Shannon Sharpe (former NFL player) and Stephen A. Smith (sports journalist) will face each other. Famous rapper 50 cent will play the role of assistant coach of Shannon’s team and he will direct “players” such as actor Quincy Isaiah, racer Conor Daly, NFL player Micah Parsons…

Meanwhile, another familiar rapper, Lil Wayne, will lead Team Stephen A. as an assistant coach. The team also features actress Jennifer Hudson, former NBA player Metta Sandiford-Artest, Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean, etc.

Some of the remaining events of the 2024 NBA All-Star include the game for young stars, the 3-point shooting contest, the slam dunk contest and the technical contest. All the most exciting and explosive developments of the 2024 NBA All-Star “basketball party” will be reported live and exclusively on FPT Play.