New All-Star Game format will rob Knicks fans from enjoying special moment

The next few days will be memorable for the New York Knicks, as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are in San Francisco for 2025 All-Star Weekend. Brunson will participate in the All-Star Three-Point Contest on Saturday night for the second consecutive year, the event that Towns won with the Timberwolves in 2022.

On Sunday, Brunson and KAT will play in the newly formatted All-Star Game tournament. The event will feature four teams and three games. The first round will consist of two semifinal matchups, and the winners of those games (the first team to reach 40 points) will advance to the championship.

The rosters for the three All-Star teams have already been decided. TNT's "Inside the NBA" commentators Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenny Smith each selected eight players out of the 24 All-Stars. The fourth squad in the tournament (Team Candace) will be the winning team from Friday's Rising Stars mini-tournament.

Brunson and KAT are on separate All-Star tournament teams

Brunson is on Team Kenny and Towns is on Team Chuck, so Knicks fans won't see them take the floor together as starters in the traditional East versus West All-Star Game. Considering it's been 50 years since New York had two starters, it would be special to have that moment.

The NBA is trying to find a way to revive the All-Star Game, which has turned into more of an embarrassment to the league than a source of pride. The tournament most likely won't change much, and it wouldn't be surprising if the team that played the hardest is the Rising Stars squad. All-Stars don't take the game seriously anymore.

It will take more than a mini-tournament to make All-Star Weekend what it once was. Maybe it'll add a bit more excitement, but that's about it. At least it will still be fun to see Brunson and KAT rep New York together at Chase Center. Maybe the former will bring some hardware back to the city if he dethrones Damian Lillard as the Three-Point Champion.