SHIRTS VS. SKINS

NBA Ditches All-Star Game’s East-West Format

Top vote-getting players in each conference will select their own teams regardless of affiliation.

Starting this season, the NBA All-Star Game will no longer feature an Eastern vs. Western Conference format. Instead, the league announced Tuesday, two captains will be selected from each conference by the fans, and those two players will then select their own teams regardless of conference affiliation. Per ESPN: “There will still be 12 players selected from each conference for the game in Los Angeles on Feb. 18. Five players from each conference will be selected as starters with fan vote being worth 50 percent, player vote worth 25 percent and media vote 25 percent. Seven reserves for each team will be picked by each conference's head coaches.” All-Star voting for the 2017-18 season will begin on Christmas Day.