Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers' (14-12) Thursday night matchup against the Sacramento Kings, LeBron James shared his thoughts on the NBA's new All-Star Game format. Speaking to reporters in a pregame media session captured by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James acknowledged the need for change while expressing cautious optimism about the overhaul.

“It had to change, something had to change,” James said, addressing the modifications to the All-Star Game.

The new format, set to debut during the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, features a four-team, three-game, one-night tournament. Three teams of eight All-Stars each will compete alongside the winners of the Rising Stars Challenge. Each game will conclude when one team scores 40 points.

James noted the inevitability of pushback whenever major changes occur but stressed the importance of innovation to revitalize the event.

“Everyone has their own opinion. I mean yeah, it’s different… We’ll see when we get there. It’s different obviously; anytime you make some type of change it’s going to be some bug back. I don’t know, I mean I have my own ideas of what could possibly work.”

LeBron James highlights broader issues impacting All-Star Game and NBA's evolution

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James also addressed broader concerns about the All-Star Game’s quality in recent years, particularly the lack of competitiveness on Sunday night.

“We gotta do something. Obviously the last couple of years have not been a great All-Star Game, that Sunday night. But listen, it’s a bigger conversation, if it’s not just the All-Star Game. Our game is a lot of f***ing threes being shot. It’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.”

James’ comments add to the growing debate surrounding the All-Star Weekend’s direction. Other NBA figures, including Stephen A. Smith and Kevin Durant, have voiced differing perspectives on the event. Durant recently criticized the format, calling it “terrible,” and advocated for a return to the traditional East vs. West matchups. Smith placed the blame for the event's decline on the players, citing a lack of effort as the root cause.

Now in his 22nd season, James continues to perform at an elite level for the Lakers, averaging 22.8 points, 9.1 assists, and eight rebounds per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range. The Lakers, sitting at 14-12, are on a two-game road trip, with both matchups against the Kings.

The league’s changes to the All-Star Game will face their first test in February as players, fans, and analysts watch to see if the experiment can restore excitement to the event.