The NBA changed the format of their All-Star Game this season, doing away with the standard East vs. West dynamic and replacing it with a draft. The two players with the most votes in each conference — LeBron James and Stephen Curry — acted as captains and alternated selections, adding a bit more drama and strategy to a game that had grown a bit stale.
After just one iteration of the new format, the results of the change appear promising. Team LeBron narrowly edged Team Stephen in what was one of the more exciting All-Star Games ever.
With the new format likely to stay, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the one complaint, which was that the draft itself was done behind closed doors.