The NBA has never been afraid to innovate in their never-ending attempt to liven up their product. The All-Star Game, in particular, continues to be a battleground of ideas, as players have shown in recent years that they're alright with not giving it their all, perhaps in an attempt to avoid injuries or overtaxing themselves in preparation for the stretch run. But in 2025, the NBA may have bitten off more than they could chew with the new format — with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green not sugarcoating his disappointment.
Green, on a scale of 1-10, gave the new NBA All-Star Game format a zero, as he does not like the idea of having the games run up to a measly 40 points.
“Ten being the best? A zero. It sucks. Awful,” Green said on the TNT broadcast, via the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter).
“Ten being the best? A zero. Sucks.”
Draymond Green’s rating for this year’s All-Star Game format 😬pic.twitter.com/Mu7CZzy7lm
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 17, 2025
For the uninitiated, the NBA divided the All-Star Game rosters into three teams — Shaq's OGs, Kenny's Rising Stars, and Chuck's Global Stars. The fourth team in the competition will be the team that wins the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night. Green does not like the idea of the Rising Stars winners being able to face off against the OGs, of all teams, as the gulf in quality was ever so apparent.
“Now we get the ‘treat’ of watching the Olympic team against a U19 team. C’mon. What are we doing? This is ridiculous. Awful,” Green added, as per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
“The [Rising Stars] shouldn’t have been out there… They never belonged on that court. Those games weren’t exciting at all.”
“You weren’t impressed by the Rising Stars? Did they come out here and prove anything to you Draymond?”
Draymond Green: “Yes. That they shouldn’t have been out there… They never belonged on that court. Those games weren’t exciting at all.”
Thoughts? 🤔pic.twitter.com/eVGE4DfTOa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 17, 2025
At the end of the day, the NBA deserves credit for at least coming up with some new ideas to avoid stagnancy. But there is a sense that there were too many changes introduced in one go, stripping the NBA All-Star Game of its classic feel that has made it appointment viewing for years.
Draymond Green decries Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's lack of opportunity to make NBA All-Star Game history

Draymond Green did not stop with his criticisms of the new NBA All-Star Game format. The Warriors veteran also expressed his disappointment at the fact that players who give it their all won't be getting an opportunity to pad their All-Star Game records due to the restrictive nature of the format.
“You work all year to be an All-Star and you get to play up to 40 and then you’re done. This is so unfair to Victor Wembanyama who just took this game seriously. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who just took this game really seriously. When you talk about chasing the points records — Melo, Kobe, and all the guys we’ve had. They don’t get the opportunity to do that with this game,” Green said.