PHOENIX — If there's somebody with a credible opinion on all-star games, Suns forward Kevin Durant has one.
The 14-time NBA All-Star was not initially a fan of the league's announcement of a four-team tournament format for the 2025 game set for February 14-16 in San Francisco.
"I hate it. Absolutely hate it. Terrible," Durant said. "All-Star game formats changing is terrible, in my opinion. We should just go back to East-West. We've been trying to bring that flare back somehow with the All-Star weekend. I think we just keep it traditional, but we'll see how this one works. You never know. I might be wrong. I'm just another guy with another opinion, but we'll see how it works."
"The NBA is incredible with how they are constantly trying to put the best product out there," Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "(Commissioner Adam Silver) and the whole group with the NBA, in all honesty, just are continually pushing for us to be our best.
"I love being a part of the NBA, how they push the envelope and try and make everything we do better."
Competitiveness in all-star games is something the NBA has been trying to address for years. Instead of the traditional two-team format, four total teams consisting of eight players each will compete against one another in three tournament games -- two semifinal and one final -- with the first team to 40 points as the winner.
Three teams will be named after TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith. Each commentator will make player selections for their team.
The fourth team will be comprised of the winners from the Rising Stars game February 14 and will face one of the other three teams February 16.
Championship-winning players will receive a $125,000 payout as part of the $1.8 million prize pool. Second-place players take home $50,000, while the third- and fourth-place finishers earn $25,000.
BRADLEY BEAL INJURY UPDATE
Suns guard Bradley Beal, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, took part in an individual workout after practice Tuesday. His status for the Suns' game with the Pacers Thursday is to be determined.
"His practice was in the training room," Budenholzer said. "He did a bunch of rehab-type stuff. He did really well in the training room was what I got. It's a big 24-36 hours, you know, and we're hopeful that he continues to make progress and evaluate him each day."
"We have had multiple guys out. Not just me, multiple guys that play heavy rotation minutes," Durant said. "Ryan (Dunn), Brad (Beal), (Jusuf) Nurkic. We had a few guys out. We need everybody on the floor if we want to be a good team, so when we're all healthy, we look pretty solid. We want to just keep everybody on the floor, man. It's easier said than done, though."
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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