LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The NBA today announced an overhaul of the format of this year's All-Star Game in Chicago, with a dramatic fourth-quarter change designed to honor Kobe Bryant.
According to the league, the first three quarters will be turned into three 12-minute mini-games, with $100,000 awarded to the Chicago-based charity- of-choice of the winning team in each quarter, as chosen by respective team captains LeBron James of the Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Each quarter will begin with a score of 0-0. If any quarter ends in a tie, the $100,000 will carry over to the next quarter.
For the fourth quarter, however, each team will begin with the cumulative number of points they scored in the first three quarters. The fourth quarter will be played without a clock running, and the first team to reach a ``Final Target Score'' will be declared the winner.
The Final Target Score will be determined by taking the higher of the two teams' cumulative scores, and adding 24 points -- in honor of Bryant's uniform number during the second half of his career.
In other words, according to the league, if the teams' cumulative score is 100-95 after the first three quarters, 24 points would be added to the higher score, setting the Final Target Score at 124.
The first team to reach 124 points will win the game, and the winning team's selected charity will receive $200,000.
Bryant was selected for 18 NBA All-Star Games, and he won the game's MVP Award four times.
``Additional plans to honor Bryant during NBA All-Star 2020 in Chicago will be announced at a later date,'' according to the NBA.
The All-Star Game will be played Feb. 16.