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The NBA and NBA Players Association have announced a change to the format of the All-Star Game. For the first time, the annual event - set to take place on February 18 in Los Angeles - will not be a matchup of East vs. West.

For the 2018 game, the All-Star format gets a playground makeover, and two captains will select the squads they will play with, from an inter-conference pool of players.

The 10 All-Star Game starters will be determined by a combination of fan votes (50 percent), current player votes (25 percent), and media votes (25 percent). Fourteen reserves will be chosen by NBA coaches. The player from each conference with the highest fan vote total will be named a team captain. 

The league has also announced that each team will be playing in the name of an LA-based or national charity.

"I'm thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us," NBPA president Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets said in a statement.  “We’re looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in LA.”

Fan voting will open on Christmas Day. Team captains and starters will be announced on January 18, with reserves to follow on January 23.