CLEVELAND — After Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was named an NBA All-Star starter on Thursday, his head coach earned a role in the game as well.
Cavs Head Coach Kenny Atkinson earned a spot as a coach in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game after the Cavs secured the best record in the Eastern Conference in games played through Feb. 2. He will coach one of the four teams in the All-Star Game's new format.
This year, the All-Star Game features a mini-tournament with four teams and three games. Here is the new format:
Two teams will meet in one semifinal (Game 1), and the remaining two teams will meet in the other semifinal (Game 2). The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 will advance to face each other in the championship (Game 3). For each game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points. The 24 NBA All-Star selections will be divided evenly into three teams and the fourth team will be the winning team from the championship game of the Castrol Rising Stars, the annual showcase of top first- and second-year NBA players and NBA G League standouts. Atkinson and Mark Daigneault from the Oklahoma City Thunder will each coach an NBA All-Star team. An assistant coach from one of those staffs will serve as head coach of the Castrol Rising Stars champion, and an assistant coach from the other staff will coach the remaining All-Star team.
Atkinson's honor marks the fourth time in franchise history that a Cavs head coach has been selected to coach in the NBA All-Star Game. Tyronn Lue earned the honor in 2016, Mike Brown earned it in 2009, and Lenny Wilkins earned it in 1989.
So far, 10 players have been selected for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, Mitchell among them.
Here are the announced starters:
Eastern Conference starters-
- Jaylen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Western Conference starters-
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
- Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
The Cavs have been pushing strongly to get the core four—Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen—into the All-Star Game. With Mitchell named a starter, the team will await to see if the other three also earn the honors.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game reserves will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. on TNT. Seven players will be named in each conference: two guards, three frontcourt players and two additional players at any position. NBA head coaches will select the reserves.
