"Dillon Brooks gotta be in it for f***ery" - Kevin Garnett pitches NBA to introduce $10 million contest in All-Star game

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett discussed a way to improve the NBA's All-Star Weekend. According to the two former NBA champions, the league needs to include a one-on-one competition where the participants compete for a large sum of money.

Initially, Garnett said that players can compete for a cash prize of $1 million. However, Pierce raised the stakes to $10 million. Garnett joked that for a prize that big, even Pierce himself might come back and sign up. Later on, they discussed how it should be implemented and who should participate.

However, the duo kept it light and joked about including certain competitors simply for the entertainment factor.

"Dillon Brooks is in it," Garnett said. "Dillon Brooks is gonna be in it for the f***ery. He might win it. That would be fun, though. I think the league needs to think of making it competitive."

The structure of the NBA's All-Star Weekend has remained largely the same. There are the staple events like the Slam Dunk Contest, the 3-point shootout and the All-Star game. Then there are other events such as the celebrity game, the skills challenge and the Rising Stars game.

There have been a few tweaks and inclusions, such as in 2024 when Steph Curry battled three-time WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu in a 3-point contest. The league has also changed the structure of the All-Star game, which is the highlight of the weekend.

In 2018, the league introduced the Captain's Draft method of selecting players as the East vs. West format was ditched. The first time was between LeBron James and Steph Curry. LeBron has been the captain every year since and has battled against Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020 and 2023) and Kevin Durant (2021, 2022). Last season, the league returned to the traditional East vs. West format.

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NBA announces major changes to All-Star game format for 2025

The upcoming 74th All-Star Weekend, which will be held in San Francisco will see the ushering of a new format for the annual All-Star game. The event, which will be held at the home of the Golden State Warriors, the Chase Center, will see the biggest change to the format yet.

ESPN's Shams Charania detailed the changes that are coming to the All-Star game. Instead of having two teams, the All-Star game will now feature four, one of which is the winner of the Rising Stars challenge.

Each team will feature eight players and will compete in an elimination-style tournament. The two semifinal games will be played up to 40 points and the two winners will advance to face each other in the finals. That game will be played up to 25.

At the moment, the NBA has not announced how teams will be selected and what this could mean for someone like Victor Wembanyama. As a second-year player, he is eligible to play for the Rising Stars squad and has a high chance of being voted into the All-Star game as well.