Know All About Newly Conceptualized NBA All Star Game To Honour Kobe Bryant

The league will dedicate the high profile and star-studded All-Star Game and even bring about changes to the game's format and rules to honor the NBA legend who died with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash last month near Los Angeles.

Photo: virat.kohli (Instagram)

New Delhi: The National Basketball Association is paying tribute to the deceased legendary basketball star Kobe Bryant all throughout the league's All-Star weekend which commenced with the Rising All Stars Game in Chicago on Saturday. The league will dedicate the high profile and star-studded All-Star Game and even bring about changes to the game's format and rules to honor the NBA legend who died with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash last month near Los Angeles. The new format has been envisaged with an aim to maximize the money that can be won for charity. The biggest change comes in the form of an untimed fourth quarter and a target score featuring Bryant's number 24, the NBA said in a news release. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo were picked up as captains after securing the highest votes in their respective conferences. The superstars then donned the selector's hat to pick the other players during an on-air draft and divided into two teams, Team LeBron and Team Giannis. The former will wear No. 2 after Gianna and the latter will don No. 24 after Kobe. Additionally, patches with stars honoring all nine victims of the helicopter crash will be stitched onto the players' jerseys throughout events for the weekend. The tribute patches to Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant & Calabasas crash victims & stripe for David Stern on 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend jersey What are the changes to the 2020 All-Star Game? According to the NBA's FAQ page, teams will compete to win each 12-minute quarter for their designated Chicago-based charities. If the first or second quarter ends in a tie, the $100,000 charity award will be added to the next quarter's award. If the third quarter ends in a tie, the money is added to the team that wins the game. The fourth quarter will be a unique commemoration to Bryant. The game clock will be turned off and a "final target score" will be set, the NBA said. The target score is determined by the leading team's cumulative score for three quarters and adding 24 points -- a nod to Bryant's No. 24 jersey, which he wore for the last decade of his career. For instance, if a game entering the fourth is 100-95, the team with 100 points would only need to score 24 points in the fourth to win before the other team scores 29. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver credited Oklahoma Thunder guard Chris Paul for integration of the so-called "Elam Ending," named after Ball State University professor Nick Elam who sought to end drawn out and predictable endings of games. TNT, which will broadcast the game, will also feature a commercial-free fourth quarter, according to the NBA. The game's virtual shot clock will display a combination of gold and purple accents at 24 seconds and eight seconds remaining on the clock in the fourth, representing Bryant's jersey numbers.