THIS year's NBA All-Star game saw viewership fall by 13 per cent, per reports.

League commissioner Adam Silver unveiled an ambitious format change in a bid to breathe new life into the ailing showpiece event.

The traditional game was replaced by a four-team tournament, with each match-up played to a target score of 40.

Three teams were made up of All-Stars, while the fourth team comprised of the winners of Friday's Rising Stars rookie and sophomore tournament.

While several players did display more effort than in previous editions, the game failed to capture a bigger audience.

Per Front Office Sports, the game was watched by an average of 4.7 million viewers across TNT's platforms.

Last year's game, in comparison, was watched by 5.4 million viewers on average.

This year's average viewership is the second lowest since records began, with only the 2023 All-Star Game gathering fewer (4.6 million).

By comparison, in 2003 the showpiece occasion was watched by 13.1 million viewers on average.

While across the 2010s, ratings did not drop below 6.8 million.

Working as an analyst for TNT, former All-Star Draymond Green slammed the new format.

"You work all year to be an All-Star and you get to play up to 40 and then you're done," the Golden State Warriors star, 34, began.

"This is so unfair to Victor Wembanyama, who just took this game really seriously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just took this game really seriously.

"When you talk about chasing the points record, Melo (Carmelo Anthony), Kobe (Bryant) and all these guys who've had great scoring nights.

"They don't get the opportunity to do that with this game... all so we can watch some rising stars.

"Now we get the treat of watching the Olympic team vs a U-19 team. Come on, what are we doing? This is ridiculous."

This year's game was rocked by LeBron James' late withdrawal.

The Los Angeles Lakers star, 40, pulled out just hours before the game - not allowing any time for a replacement to called up - while Anthony Edwards was also a late scratch.

The NBA's All-Star Saturday Night package was watched by an average of 3.4 million viewers - down on last year's 4.57 million.

Their 2024 Saturday Night was carried by Steph Curry's three-point battle with WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu.

NBA bosses had hoped to expand the event this year to include Klay Thompson and Caitlin Clark, although the latter reportedly declined.

Two-way guard Mac McClung, who has played in five NBA games in four years, won his third straight dunk contest, in an event that lacked star power.