The NBA is bringing a tournament-style format to the All-Star Game for the first time Sunday, one that has received a ton of backlash from fans and players alike. But 11-time All-Star Steph Curry was one of the people who helped bring the new format to life.
Speaking to The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on The TK Show, Curry said he visited the NBA offices last summer and spoke with commissioner Adam Silver. Curry didn’t know beforehand that he was going to speak to Silver about the All-Star Game, but he said Silver asked for his input, particularly because the Warriors were hosting the weekend festivities this year.
“He didn’t have any ideas at that time, and my advice was it’s not a bad thing to change it up entirely and try something new, knowing you can always come back to the traditional format if whatever you decide doesn’t work,” Curry said.
He suggested shortening the game and creating different scenarios that may bring out players’ competitiveness. The league landed on a four-team format with eight players per side and three total games. Each game will be won by the first team to score 40 points.
The 2022 All-Star Game MVP said he’s satisfied with where Silver and the league landed.
“It comes down to the players, whether you play or not, but I like where it’s at. It’s going to be different, it’s going to be critiqued, and that’s kind of what you want,” Curry said.
Silver said at the press conference ahead of the Paris Games last month that he spoke to many “perennial All-Stars” about the format. He also told Kawakami in a separate interview that he worked with National Basketball Players Association executive director Andre Iguodala, who is also Curry’s former teammate, on the format changes.
The commissioner has acknowledged numerous times that the league’s All-Star Game has issues. This stems from the league’s top stars showing limited effort during the game. Last year, with the NBA playing its usual regulation game between East and West All-Stars, the teams combined to score a record 397 points.
Fans are also turning away from the showcase as a result. Last year’s game averaged 5.4 million viewers, the second-least-watched All-Star Game in history, behind only the previous year’s game.
Prize Money
This year’s game also includes a $1.8 million prize pool, with the players from the winning team each bringing home $125,000. The runners-up win $50,000 each, while the two teams that miss the final will take home $25,000 per player. These are relatively small sums, as nearly every All-Star is on or has signed a deal worth tens of millions annually (only third-year player Jalen Williams has yet to ink his second contract).
The fourth team in the All-Star tournament will be the winning team from the Rising Stars Challenge, which will be composed of first- and second-year players who may find the monetary incentives more appealing.
