The NBA has announced major changes for the 2018 All-Star Game, highlighted by captain-chosen rosters instead of the traditional format of Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference.
In a joint release, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced the captains will be the leading vote-getters in each conference, and the winning team will play for a charity selected before the game.
"I'm thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us," NBPA president and Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul said in the statement. "We're looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A."
Captains can choose any player voted to the All-Star Game as a starter or reserve, regardless of conference affiliation.
For example, if LeBron James is one of the captains, he can select Stephen Curry or Draymond Green if they are named to the game.
After the conferences combined for an All-Star Game-record 374 points in last season's showdown, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he wanted to see changes so players would treat it close to the way they would a regular-season contest.
"We will change it by next year," Silver told reporters. "It shouldn't be playoff intensity, but the guys should be playing."
Per USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, the changes are a "player-driven answer" to the recent problem of the event's treatment as a backyard exhibition.
The 2018 NBA All-Star Game will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 18.