With four teams and with members of the G-League. This is how the game will be with rookies and sophomores at All-Star weekend NBA to be held from February 18 to 20 in Cleveland (Ohio). This match, known as the Rising Stars Challenge, previously pitted rookies against sophomores and then to players from the United States against those from the rest of the world chosen both among the rookies and second-year players. But the NBA announced Tuesday that its 2022 edition will have significant changes.
First place will be chosen 12 rookies, 12 second players year and 4 more from the G-League. With that total of 28 names, four teams will be formed, which will be led by four members of the list of the 75 best players in NBA history that the league has unveiled this year to celebrate its 75 years of competition. The teams will meet in a Final Four format (two semi-finals and one final with the winners of both matches). Instead of being played on time, these matches will be won by whoever reaches a score first, a format that has been used previously in the All-Star match. As a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the NBA, the semifinals will be played until one of the teams reaches 50 points, while in the final the objective will be to reach 25 points.
On the other hand, the NBA also unveiled the Clutch Challenge competition in which players must score from five positions on the pitch related to historic moments and iconic NBA shots.
