NEW YORK (AFP) — The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game will feature a new mini-tournament format in 2025 with Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith drafting All-Star squads to join the Rising Stars game winner.

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced the change, which followed criticism about the lack of intensity by players in the mid-season exhibition contest in recent years.

Next year’s NBA All-Star Game will be staged on 16 February at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The mini-tournament will feature two semifinals with the winners advancing to a championship contest, with all games being played to a target score of 40 points.

A prize pool of $1.8 million includes $125,000 for each member of the championship club, $50,000 for each member of the runner-up squad and $25,000 each for those on the semifinal loses.

The first team to qualify will be the winner of the Rising Stars game on 14 February, a showcase of first-year and second-year NBA and developmental G-League talent.

The squad will be known as Team Candace for Women’s NBA legend Candace Parker, one of the four analysts from US telecaster TNT whose names will be given to the All-Star clubs — the others being O’Neal, Smith and Barkley.

Each of the former NBA stars will select eight players from the pool of 24 available All-Stars to fill out the All-Star rosters for Team Chuck, Team Shaq and Team Kenny in an All-Star Draft on 6 February.

Voting for All-Star starters will remain the same with fan voting counting for 50 percent of the total and 25 percent each going to current NBA players and a media panel. NBA coaches will select reserve players.

The head coaches of the four NBA All-Star squads will come from the coaching staffs of the teams with the best record in the Eastern and Western conferences through 2 February, two head coaches for All-Star teams and two assistants for the Rising Stars and the other All-Star lineup.

NBA All-Star voting begins on Thursday and runs through 20 January.