Knicks Star Gives Nod to New All-Star Format

If the 2025 NBA All-Star Game was a movie, then New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was more or less reduced to a cameo.

Brunson was part of All-Star Game history on Sunday night as one of the 24 men elected to partake in the first tournament format. Alas for his growing fanbase, Brunson lasted but a single stage: his team, "Kenny's Young Stars," was a victim in the three-game setup's maiden voyage, as the squad assembled by Kenny "The Jet" Smith fell by a 41-32 final to Charles Barkley's "Global Stars," a team headlined by international talents and Brunson's fellow Knick Karl-Anthony Towns.

Despite his early exit, Brunson hinted that he was intrigued by the tournament concept, which was previously employed by the National Hockey League in its own exhibition.

"I think it's interesting. It's different," Brunson said in the aftermath, per notes from the NBA. "The games are kind of short. I like the format. It's something new, something unique. Maybe just score to 50 maybe. But it's interesting, something new like that. You never really know what to expect, but it was all right."

Four teams partook in the inaugural tournament: three were curated by NBA on TNT personalities Barkley, Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal and one more, under the watch of another basketball star-turned-broadcaster, Candace Parker, consisted of the winners of the Rising Stars competition held on Friday. O'Neal's team, "Shaq's OGs," defeated Parker's Rising Stars in the first round before handily topping the Global Stars in the finale.

In lieu of a clock, each game played to a target score of 40. To Brunson's point of brevity, the showdown between the Global Stars and Young Stars lasted just under 10 minutes, limiting the floor time of new faces of the league like Cade Cunningham (Detroit) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis). Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) was a late scratch due to a groin injury.

Sunday marked Brunson's second All-Star appearance. Last year's first showing in Indianapolis saw the Association briefly return to the traditional conference-vs.-conference format, as Brunson scored 12 points in a 211-186 triumph for the East.

After partaking, Brunson suggested on his "Roommates Show" web series that the league could maintain such a set-up but take a page out of Major League Baseball's book by offering the winning conference homecourt advantage in the NBA Finals, similar to the "This Time It Counts" gimmick seen in the Midsummer Classic from 2003 through 2016.

The blatant lack of effort in the defensively-challenged showdown led the league to one of its most radical tinkerings of the All-Star Game to date, but the switch received predominantly negative reviews.

Nonetheless, Brunson remained grateful to the Knicks fans that voted him into the exhibition, which saw two Knicks in the All-Star starting five for the first time since 1975. Brunson bid All-Star Weekend farewell in an X post after the festivities wrapped up at Chase Center.

THANK YOU to the Knicks fan base and everyone who has supported me since day 1! Wouldn’t have been here without your votes! Love being able to represent you guys and I don’t take it for granted! Much love !! 🤞🏽🧡💙
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) February 17, 2025

"THANK YOU to the Knicks fan base and everyone who has supported me since day 1!" Brunson said. "Wouldn’t have been here without your votes! Love being able to represent you guys and I don’t take it for granted! Much love!"

Brunson, Towns, and the Knicks (36-18) return to action on Thursday when they host the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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