The NBA announced that they are revamping the 2020 All-Star Game, and it will feature a tribute to Kobe Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people.
Under the new format, instead of playing a full game, teams will take part in three mini-games that will be 12 minutes each, with the score resetting after each game. The winner of each mini-game will win $100,000 for a Chicago-based charity. If there is a tie, the money will roll over to the next game. After the first three games are complete, their scores will be combined, and they will play an untimed game, with the goal of hitting a target score to win. The target score will be determined by adding 24 points to the score of the leading team. For example, if the score is 100-95 going into the final game, the target score would 124 and the first team to reach that would be declared the victor and win $200,000 for their charity.
The 24 points is an homage to Kobe, who wore the number 24 for the last ten years of his NBA career.
If one team wins all four games, the losing team's charity will still receive $100,000.
"We spent a lot of time considering the right target number to use for the fourth quarter," said Byron Spruell, the NBA's president for league operations. "Through the events of this week, it became clear to us that the only appropriate number for this season's All-Star game is 24."
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo will serve as captains of their respective teams and will get to draft their players before the game starts.