New Rising Stars format at NBA All-Star weekend, explained: Four-team, three-game tournament to debut in 2022

The NBA announced on Tuesday that it will switch up the format for the Rising Stars Challenge at the 2022 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

What was once simply a matchup between the league’s best rookies and sophomores took a turn over the last few seasons when the format changed to grouped rookies and sophomores by their nationality into two teams: USA vs. World.

Now, under the new format, the Rising Stars Challenge will have a completely different look, consisting of a four-team, three-game tournament to decide a winner.

For the full explainer on how the new Rising Stars Challenge will work, take a look below.

New Rising Stars format at NBA All-Star weekend, explained

The Rising Stars Challenge will now consist of four seven-player teams competing in a three-game, single-elimination mini-tournament. Each game will be played to a final target score.

How many players will compete in the Rising Stars event?

There will be a pool of 28 players, consisting of 12 rookies, 12 sophomores and four members of the G League Ignite development team.

Who will coach and how will they select the teams?

Members of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team and assistant coaches for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game will make up the coaching staff for each team.

Each team will select seven players, which will include one G League Ignite player per team.

How will the mini-tournament work?

You can find the three-game, single-elimination tournament bracket below.

The first-round games will be played to a final target score of 50. The championship round will be played to a final target score of 25. Games will be 5-on-5 and scoring will go by 2s and 3s.

The competition consists of a “Race to 75” points, in honor of the NBA’s landmark 75th anniversary season.

You can watch the new Rising Stars format on Friday, Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.