Stephen Curry will be joining Olympic teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant once again, this time at the NBA All-Star Game. The league announced the rosters for this season’s midseason showcase event on Tuesday night, splitting 25 players across three squads.
This year marks the debut of a new All-Star format: U.S. vs. The World. The event is set for February 15 at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home arena in Inglewood, California. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes this concept will tap into national pride among the players, making it a timely and exciting change.
The game will be broadcast on NBC, which is also airing the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics starting later this week and running through February 22. The U.S.-vs.-World format had been discussed for years before finally becoming a reality this season.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled this long-awaited plan in an effort to reignite interest in the All-Star Game after last season’s tournament format received widespread criticism.
Notably, the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, considered by many as the most deserving player left off the original list of 24 All-Stars, was added to the pool of U.S. players shortly before the rosters were revealed. Leonard’s inclusion likely resulted in New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns being moved to the World team. Although Towns was born in New Jersey, he has represented the Dominican Republic — his late mother’s homeland — in international basketball.
To accommodate the new format, the NBA announced it would adjust roster sizes as needed to ensure that each of the three teams has a minimum of eight players. The World team currently has nine players, as Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to participate due to injury.
The two U.S. teams were split by age: the older players make up USA Stripes, while the younger players comprise USA Stars.
### All-Star Rosters
**USA Stripes**
– Jaylen Brown (Boston)
– Jalen Brunson (New York)
– Stephen Curry (Golden State)
– Kevin Durant (Houston)
– LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
– Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
– Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland)
– Norman Powell (Miami)
**Coach:** Mitch Johnson (San Antonio)
**USA Stars**
– Scottie Barnes (Toronto)
– Devin Booker (Phoenix)
– Cade Cunningham (Detroit)
– Jalen Duren (Detroit)
– Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
– Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City)
– Jalen Johnson (Atlanta)
– Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia)
**Coach:** J. B. Bickerstaff (Detroit)
**World Team**
– Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
– Deni Avdija (Portland)
– Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)
– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
– Nikola Jokic (Denver)
– Jamal Murray (Denver)
– Pascal Siakam (Indiana)
– Karl-Anthony Towns (New York)
– Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio)
**Coach:** Darko Rajakovic (Toronto)
### Schedule and Format
All games will be 12 minutes each.
– **Game 1:** USA Stars vs. World
– **Game 2:** USA Stripes vs. Winner of Game 1
– **Game 3:** USA Stripes vs. Loser of Game 1
– **Game 4 (Championship):** Top two teams from round-robin play
If all three teams finish with a 1-1 record after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team’s games.
This fresh format promises exciting basketball action, pitting top U.S. talent against the best from around the globe in a celebration of the sport’s international reach. Fans can look forward to a renewed All-Star experience when the game tips off in February.
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