The 2020 NBA All-Star player pool will be completed on Thursday night, and captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will get a complete look at their potential draftees as the All-Star Game reserves will be announced live on TNT, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The two captains and 10 starters for the game, selected by a combination of fan, media and player votes, were announced last week. On Thursday night, 14 more players -- seven from each conference -- selected by the league's coaches will be revealed.
James and Antetokounmpo will pick their teams from the 22 players that were selected to participate next week on Feb. 6.
It's worth noting that this year's All-Star Game, scheduled for Feb. 16, will take on significant changes when it comes to game play, and will also feature various tributes to Kobe Bryant. The changes are as follows:
- The score will be reset to 0-0 after the first and second quarters.
- The winners of the first, second and third quarters will receive $100,000 per quarter to donate to a Chicago-based charity of the captain's choice.
- At the end of the third quarter, the total scores from each quarter will be combined, as it would be in a typical game.
- The fourth quarter will not be timed. Instead, a target score will be set by adding 24 points (Bryant's old uniform number) to the total of whichever team has the lead through three quarters (i.e, if the team in the lead has 100 points, the target score would be 124). The first team to reach that target would win the game.
- The winning team will receive another $200,000 to donate to charity, bringing the total up to $500,000.
The changes don't have an impact on the way that the players are selected for the game. With that said, here is everything you need to know about Thursday's All-Star announcement.
When will the reserves be announced?
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 30 | 7 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT | Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
How the selection process works
The reserves are solely selected by the 30 head coaches around the NBA. If a player drops out due to injury, the commissioner is allowed to name his replacement. Additionally, commissioner Adam Silver is allowed to award extra roster spots due to extenuating circumstances, as he did a year ago in adding retiring legends Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki to the game as part of their farewell tours.
What comes next?
Here are the other important dates to know as we approach All-Star Weekend:
- Feb. 6: All-Star Draft
- Feb. 14: Rising Stars Challenge and Celebrity Game
- Feb. 15: Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest
- Feb. 16: 2020 NBA All-Star Game