The All-Star Game in the NBA has a new look. At the Warriors’ Chase Center in 2025, the NBA will use a mini-tournament format with four teams: the champions of Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge and three NBA All-Star teams.

The three clubs’ “honorary general managers”—Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith of TNT’s “Inside the NBA”—selected their lineups earlier this month.

LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, and other All-Star mainstays will be on the court on Sunday night, along with rookies Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham, and Tyler Herro.

Here are some specifics about the modifications to the All-Star Game.

Three NBA All-Star teams and the winner of the Rising Stars challenge will make up the four teams in the NBA’s new mini-tournament. The league’s top first- and second-year players, along with a few G League players, competed in the Rising Stars challenge, which was a four-team event on Friday night.

Under the leadership of Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who won MVP, Chris Mullin’s “Team C” won the Rising Stars competition.

There are eight players on each NBA All-Star team.

Two injured replacements are included in the total of 26 NBA All-Stars. 24 players were initially chosen, the same amount as in prior seasons.

The format of the competition is straightforward. The opening game will pit Kenny’s Young Stars against Chuck’s Global Stars. In the second semifinal, Shaq’s original team will play Rising Stars, who are coached by Candace Parker.

The championship game will bring the winners together. Each game is won by the first team to 40 points.

The total amount of prizes is $1.8 million. Every member of the winning team receives $125,000. The second-place team’s players receive $50,000.

The players on the semifinal losing teams receive $25,000. There were initially 12 players selected per conference, and 10 players were chosen as “starters” using the same voting procedure.

In the past, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference would often compete in a single 48-minute All-Star Game.

The league switched back to East vs. West in Indianapolis last season, but teams were chosen by the top vote-getters from 2018 to 2023.

The outcome, a 397-point contest, drew a lot of criticism.

The league is open to changing the format, according to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who has frequently bemoaned the caliber of play in recent All-Star Games. Silver alluded to something similar when he was in Mexico last November for a media appearance, stating that the league was considering doing away with the “traditional game format” this year.

“I think everyone was disappointed in what they saw last year,” Silver continued.

The players and the players association were also involved, in addition to the league. I believe that we all did what we believed we could, believing that somehow we would give it a collegiate try and witness a more competitive game, especially in Indiana, which is kind of the basketball heartland.”

The league, according to Silver, has confirmed a committee to discuss the matter with the NBPA and team representatives about doing “something new” to “excite the fans and also excite the players, so it’s something they’re enthusiastic about participating in.”

Since the wide receiver informed the team earlier this month that he would prefer to be dealt, Deebo Samuel’s tenure with the San Francisco 49ers may be coming to an end soon.

In 15 games, the 29-year-old caught a career-low 51 catches for 670 yards and three scores, capping a difficult season.

The seasoned playmaker has demonstrated in past seasons that he is the kind of player who can open up a game; which team would be a suitable fit for him? According to Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports, the Washington Commanders, another NFC team, would be the ideal fit.

Samuel would be a good addition to Washington’s offense, especially because Jayden Daniels just finished an incredible rookie season and Dan Quinn’s squad just returned from an NFC championship game trip.

Despite rumors, Leeds United is not considering a summer transfer for Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United, although Daniel Farke is eager to bolster the team in this area.

The Whites intend to add a striker in the summer, and TEAMtalk is aware that their target list will inevitably change depending on the division they are in.With two goals from Patrick Struijk in a thrilling late victory over Sunderland on Monday, Leeds is the clear favorite to win the Championship and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League.

If Farke’s team makes a comeback to the top flight, they will have more money and more goals. It’s also possible that Patrick Bamford will depart, freeing up a Premier League salary and creating space for a new number nine.

However, Leeds is still unwilling to pay Hojlund’s £85,000 weekly salary, and his transfer fee would be excessive given that Manchester United would never consider a sell this early in Hojlund’s employment that would result in a loss.

More significantly, there is no indication that Manchester United is open to a sale at this time, and Hojlund remains dedicated to the team and starting games.

Hojlund won’t be permitted to go even if Manchester United signs a new striker this summer, which is quite possible.

To date, neither Leeds nor any other club have made an approach for Hojlund.

But as previously stated, Leeds will try to sign a new striker this summer.

Cameron Archer of Southampton was reportedly the Whites’ main target in January—the only real target they had, in fact—and they may rekindle their interest this summer.

Although Southampton was hesitant to move Archer at the time, a deal might be possible this summer if Leeds get promoted and Southampton is relegated.

Archer’s versatility as a left-winger or striker appeals to the Whites.

We are thrilled to provide a significant update on our young athletes’ chances to compete internationally.

A new U12 (ages 10–11) division has been announced by the Pan American Karate Federation (PKF).

It will be implemented at the 2025 Pan American Youth, Cadet, and U12 Championships in Asunción, Paraguay, from August 28–30. USA Karate consulted our Athletes Commission and Technical and Medical Committees in advance of this move.

We have given great thought to our decision to compete in this new category while putting our athletes’ long-term growth and well-being first.

Burnout and early specialization continue to be our top concerns; we want to see our athletes attain their maximum potential at the senior level by adhering to the USOPC’s high-performance models.

Furthermore, we shall keep encouraging safe and healthy competition behaviors and strongly discourage weight-cutting at this developmental stage. Beginning August 28, 2025, USA Karate will offer Pre-Team divisions for athletes aged 10 or 11 at Nationals, apart from the current advanced divisions, in accordance with our development philosophy.

The 2025 Junior PKF Championships in Asunción will be open to those who make it through this selection process. Additionally, all U12 athletes who compete in Asunción must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times to guarantee the safety of our youngest competitors.