Tip-off for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game is just a couple of days away, and the big question is: Can the new tournament format bring back at least some of the intensity and competitiveness lost in the annual NBA showcase through the years?
Team USA vs. Team World Format Explained
The new format for the NBA All-star Game will pit Team USA versus Team World. But it isn’t your standard one team against another. Instead, there will be three teams made up of eight players each from the 24 selected All-Stars. The teams are Team World, Team USA Stars, and Team USA Stripes.
Moreover, there won’t be one traditional game with four 12-minute quarters. Instead, the three teams will play in a round-robin format, with each game lasting 12 minutes, or the standard timeframe for one NBA quarter.
In the round-robin tournament, Team USA Stars will play Team World in Game 1. The winning team from Game 1 will take on Team USA Stripes in Game 2, followed by Team USA Stripes facing the losing team of Game 1.
After Game 3, the top two teams will advance to face each other in the championship game (Game 4). If all three teams have identical 1-1 records after Game 3, the tiebreaker will be point differential.
Who Are the Players in the NBA All-Star Game?
Team USA Stars
- Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors)
- Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
- Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
- Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)
- Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
- Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
Team USA Stripes
- Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
- Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
- Brandon Ingram (Toronto Raptors) *Replacecd the injured Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.*
- Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets)
- LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
- Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Norman Powell (Miami Heat)
- De’Aaron Fox (San Antonio Spurs)
Team World
- Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers)
- Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets) *Replaced the injured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.*
- Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets)
- Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
- Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets)
- Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks)
- Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
- Norman Powell (Miami Heat) *Replaced the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.*
Hate the Player, Not the Game
Got to give credit to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for trying to shake things up to make the All-Star Game more interesting. But no matter how “creative” Silver is in looking to bring back the glory days of the NBA All-Star Game, it really depends on the players in the end.
However, it looks like today’s superstars aren’t too keen on making this annual showcase an intense, competitive game. Kevin Durant even said last year that he would very much rather take an actual break during this time and suggested canceling the NBA All-Star Game altogether.
Durant has a point. Superstar players at this point of the NBA calendar are probably tired of playing elite-level basketball. So, it’s quite understandable for these athletes if they want to keep things light and fun during NBA All-Star weekend.
The result has been glorified scrimmages between the world’s best players.
Another Glorified Scrimmage
While there’s a new format, fans can very much expect another glorified scrimmage at Intuit Dome. Unless, of course, the players start caring enough and show enough pride to actually compete.
To be fair, the NBA has done its part to try to salvage the All-Star Game and All-Star Weekend in general. Despite these efforts, any and all innovations will fail without buy-in from the players.
