Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to bring some international spice to the NBA All-Star Game.
The 2025 NBA Playoffs may be happening, but the Greek Freak is thinking about next season’s All-Star weekend. Antetokounmpo went on X and reposted a proposed change to the All-Star Game that would pit Team USA against Team World.
“This should be next year All Star Game format!! Must see basketball,” Giannis wrote.
This should be next year All Star Game format!! Must see basketball💯🔥 https://t.co/OFtmk6JNxW
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) May 26, 2025
The proposed teams look balanced in theory. Team World’s starting five of Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama consists of players who have either won an MVP trophy or are expected to win one in the future. That team could match up with virtually any American five-man lineup.
Issues would arise when it comes to the bench. Only seven out of the 26 players named All-Stars last season could be considered foreign-born. Given that making the All-Star team has both contract and legacy implications for the NBA’s top stars, filtering the list in favor of international players could get dicey.
While the USA-World idea has its fair share of problems, it would likely still be a better product than what the NBA tried earlier this season. Things got so bad during the 2025 NBA All-Star Game that the players themselves were complaining. Even Kevin Durant floated the idea of cancelling the event altogether.
If the NBA could figure out a fair way to sort teams while still rewarding the best players, perhaps a tweaked All-Star Game with international flavor would do well. It’s also not completely far-fetched considering league commissioner Adam Silver has already talked about wanting to emulate the success of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.