With LeBron James’ departure, superstar talent between the conferences has reached new levels of disparity. It leaves one to wonder: how obvious will that look in February when the NBA publishes its new All-Star lineups?
NBA’s Compromise
The NBA is not an ignorant bystander to this.
For the 2018 All-Star Game, the league instituted a new format for the contest. The roster of 24 participants remained equal between the conferences, but they ditched the traditional East vs. West lineups. Instead, the highest vote-getting players were team captains. Publicly, the NBA reasoned this change was to provide an incentive for players to take the game more seriously.