The All-Star Game viewership has reached its highest in nearly 15 years! The new format is strongly supported by the players and is likely to be adopted next season.

On February 17th Beijing time,the NBA officially reported that this year’s All-Star Game recorded the highest ratings since 2011, averaging 8.8 million viewers across the United States.ESPN’s McMenamin commented: The NBA has finally discovered a genuinely effective All-Star Game format. This year’s event featured Team USA versus the World Team, with three teams competing in a 12-minute round-robin system, which was a huge success and brought back the high-intensity competition not seen in years.

All three games were contested until the very last moment, with thrilling buzzer-beaters that fully engaged both players and fans. Anthony Edwards led Team USA Stars to the championship and was named MVP, saying it was Victor Wembanyama’s all-out competitive spirit that ignited every All-Star player.

“Wembanyama set the tone; all three teams were truly competitive,” Edwards said. “He controlled the pace, and that completely woke me up.”

The Spurs star fulfilled his promise: treating the All-Star Game like a real competition and delivering several highlight-reel plays. When a defensive miscommunication led to Scotty Barnes hitting a game-winning three-pointer against his World Team, Wembanyama was visibly upset.

“This is the sport we love, and I personally cherish it deeply, so giving my all is the least I can do,” Wembanyama told reporters.

Kawhi Leonard put on a show for the home crowd in the third game, scoring 31 points and leading his team to a 48-45 victory over the World Team. He expressed gratitude to commissioner Adam Silver for selecting him as an injury replacement.

“It feels great, I’m glad Adam picked me,” Leonard said. “That’s also what the home fans wanted to see. I’m happy I could contribute in the game.”

Leonard’s performance amazed the other All-Stars. “We were all watching thinking, ‘Wow, this guy is incredible,’” Barnes said. “We were stunned and shocked. When a player is that hot, it’s really special. That’s exactly what people want to see.”

Yahoo Sports reporter Kelly Iko noted that besides the intense competition, the game also fully showcased the league’s rising young stars. Led by Edwards, Barnes, Maxey, Cunningham, Jalen Johnson, and Chet Holmgren, the Stars easily defeated the veteran-heavy Team USA Stripes in the final.

Although the league has not made an official decision yet, this new format is very likely to be used again at next year’s Phoenix All-Star Game.

“I don’t think they’ll really listen to me, but I like this format,” Edwards said. “Twelve minutes per game, three teams competing separately, it forces us to play hard and real. I think it’s really great… The veterans also played hard and defended seriously.”