So, the NBA All Stars 2025 just wrapped up in San Francisco, and honestly, it wasn’t what anyone expected. If you tuned in thinking you’d see the same old lazy jog up and down the court, you were probably pretty shocked. The league finally admitted the old East vs. West thing was dying. It was boring. Nobody played defense, and the scores looked like video games on easy mode. This year? They blew the whole thing up.
The Tournament That Saved the Weekend
Basically, the NBA ditched the four-quarter slog for a mini-tournament. They had four teams: Team Shaq, Team Chuck, Team Kenny, and a squad of Rising Stars. It was high stakes, fast-paced, and—dare I say—actually competitive?
Most people thought the Rising Stars would get walked over. They didn't. They took Team Shaq to the brink in the semifinals. But let’s be real, the story of the night was the hometown hero.
Why Steph Curry Still Matters
Steph Curry. In his own building at Chase Center. It felt like a movie script. He didn't just play; he took over. Even with LeBron James sidelined due to a last-minute ankle injury, Team Shaq (the "OGs") looked unstoppable.
Curry ended up walking away with the Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy. He put up 20 points across the two mini-games, including 12 in the final. And get this: all 12 of those points in the championship game came from beyond the arc. Typical Chef Curry.
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Breaking Down the New Rules
The format was the real star here. Forget the 12-minute quarters.
- The Semifinals: First team to 40 points wins.
- The Final: First team to 25 points wins.
- The Rosters: No more conference loyalty. Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny drafted their teams like a playground pickup game.
It made every possession feel heavy. You couldn't just "turn it on" in the fourth quarter because there was no fourth quarter. If you started slow, you were out. Team Chuck, led by Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić, found that out the hard way in the finals. They came out ice cold, going 0-for-10 to start, and Team Shaq buried them 41-25.
Wait, did I say 41? Yeah, Jayson Tatum ended it with a monster dunk that technically put them over the 25-point target because of how the final scoring worked. It was chaotic. It was loud. It was exactly what the Bay Area wanted.
The Saturday Night Heartbreak
We have to talk about the 3-point contest. Everyone wanted the Steph vs. Sabrina Ionescu rematch. It was supposed to be a 2v2 with Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson. But Caitlin Clark declined—she wanted her 3-point debut to be at the WNBA All-Star game later this year. Without her, the whole thing fell apart. Total bummer.
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Instead, we got Tyler Herro taking the crown. He edged out Buddy Hield by a single point. Hield actually tied the all-time round record with 31 points in the first round, but he choked a bit in the final rack.
And Mac McClung? The man is a freak of nature. He 3-peated the Dunk Contest with four perfect 50s. Jumping over people on Segways? Tapping the ball on the rim mid-air? It’s getting ridiculous at this point.
What Most People Get Wrong About 2025
A lot of critics say the NBA All Stars 2025 was "too short."
Sure, the actual game time for the final was under 12 minutes. But the intensity was night and day compared to last year's 211-186 blowout. You actually saw guys diving for loose balls. You saw Draymond Green on the sidelines getting hyped.
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The mid-game breaks were a bit of a mess, though. Jayson Tatum actually complained post-game that they had to sit for 20 minutes for a musical performance right in the middle of their rhythm. The NBA still has some kinks to iron out if they want this tournament style to be the permanent fix.
The Global Shift is Real
Look at Team Chuck’s roster. Jokić, Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alperen Şengün. The best players in the world aren't just from the States anymore. Even though the "OGs" won this year, the "Global Stars" felt like the future. Wemby making his All-Star debut was a massive milestone. He’s 7'4" and moving like a guard; it’s still terrifying to watch.
Your Move: How to Keep the Hype Going
If you’re a fan looking to stay ahead of the curve for next season, don't just watch the highlights.
- Follow the Rising Stars: This tournament proved that the gap between rookies and vets is shrinking. Keep an eye on guys like Dalton Knecht and Ryan Dunn, who actually held their own against the superstars.
- Watch the WNBA All-Star Game: Since the Steph-Sabrina-Caitlin showdown didn't happen in February, the real shooting fireworks are moving to the WNBA’s mid-season break in July.
- Check the G-League: That’s where Mac McClung lives. If you want to see the future of the Dunk Contest, that’s the lab where these dunks are being invented.
The NBA All Stars 2025 wasn't perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than the layup lines we've been forced to watch for the last five years. The league took a gamble on a weird format, and thanks to a little home-court magic from Steph Curry, it actually paid off.