The 2020 NBA All-Star game is quickly approaching, and the league has switched things up with an all-new format for the event.
According to NBA, the changes made to the All-Star Game were “designed to increase the level of competition throughout the game, provide additional excitement at the finish and make the outcome of every quarter count for charity.”
One of the changes will also honor Kobe Bryant following his untimely passing, with a new fourth-quarter format.
During his career, Bryant earned 18 NBA All-Star selections as well as a “record-tying” four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards.
The NBA explained the process of the upcoming 69th All-Star game set to take place Feb. 16, stating, “Team Giannis and Team LeBron will compete to win each of the first three quarters, all of which will start with the score of 0-0 and will be 12 minutes long. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off, and a Final Target Score will be set.”
The Final Target Score will then be calculated by adding the leading team’s cumulative points throughout the three quarters, and adding an additional 24 points in honor of Bryant, whose jersey number was 24, for his last 10 seasons in the league.
“The teams will then play an untimed fourth quarter and the first team to reach the Final Target Score will win the NBA All-Star Game,” the NBA reports.
The league also plans on making charity donations a big part of the upcoming game, revealing that, “As part of NBA All-Star 2020, more than $1 million will be contributed to Chicago community non-profit organizations through NBA Cares outreach efforts.”
Each team captain will select a Chicago-based charity beneficiary for proceeds to be donated.
Team captains for this year’s All-Star game are Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers).
“The community organization selected by the winner of each of the first three quarters will receive $100,000 – a total of $300,000 donated to charity for those three quarters. The winner of each of the first three quarters will be the team with the higher score at the end of the 12-minute quarter,” the league explained.
Whichever team wins the NBA All-Star Game by achieving the Final Target Score the quickest, will win $200,000 for its community organization of choice.
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