| National Basketball Association All-Star Game | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Inaugurated | 1951 (Boston) |
| Previous event | 2024 (Indianapolis) |
| Next event | 2025 (San Francisco) |
| Participants | Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Stars |
| Organized by | National Basketball Association |
 2024 NBA All-Star Game | |
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of February, the same day that the Daytona 500 was held, and one week after the Super Bowl. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a three-day event which goes from Friday to Sunday. The All-Star Game was first played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.
The starting lineup for each squad is selected by a combination of fan, player, and media voting,[1] while head coaches choose the reserves,[2] seven players from their respective conferences, so each side has a 12-man roster. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players. If a selected player cannot participate because of injury, the NBA commissioner selects a replacement.
Traditionally, the NBA All-Star Game pitted the top players from both the Eastern Division/Eastern Conference and the Western Division/Western Conference. From 2018 to 2023, the teams were represented by the leading vote-getter from each conference and each player regardless of conference was chosen to either team via a draft.[3][4] The teams also play for a charity of their choice to help the games remain competitive.[5]
The head coach of the team with the best record in each conference is chosen to lead their respective conference in the All-Star Game, with a prohibition against consecutive appearances.[2] Known as the "Riley Rule", it was created after perennially successful Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley earned the right to coach the Western Conference team eight times in nine seasons between 1982 and 1990. The coach of the team with the next best record gets to coach instead.
- ^ "How NBA's new voting format determined All-Star starters, snubs". ESPN. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
- ^ a b "Anthony snubbed when All-Star reserves announced". espn.com. Associated Press. February 1, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ^ Barnewall, Chris. "NBA All-Star Game draft results: LeBron James, Stephen Curry select their teams". CBS Sports. CBS. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Smith, Sekou (February 11, 2019). "All-Star Draft filled with surprises and even one trade". NBA.
- ^ "No more East vs. West as NBA revamps All-Star Game format". NBA.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.