Now that the 2026 NBA All-Star Game has come and gone, it’s time to look back at the last five installments of the league’s midseason showcase and rank which were the most thrilling—and which ones fell short.
5. NBA All-Star Game 2023: Same-Day Drafting
When the NBA instituted All-Star drafting, it was first done before the NBA All-Star Game. This time around, the league held the draft right before the actual game.
Sure, it was still Team LeBron James against Team Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the draft didn’t add any excitement at all. To add insult to injury, players on both teams didn’t compete at all, and the game ultimately felt like a team scrimmage televised internationally. Even the team captains weren’t available to play the game because the Greek Freak had an injury days before the matchup, while King James injured his finger in the first half.
4. NBA All-Star Game 2024: The Last East vs. West Matchup
After the backlash toward the 2023 All-Star abomination, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver decided to bring back the classic East versus West format for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
The switch brought back nostalgia, but the play was anything but good. Players either took long-distance shots play after play or tried highlight-reel jams with no defense whatsoever. Again, it was a glorified scrimmage, to say the least.
Indeed, superstars like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant couldn’t be bothered to try to win the game. In the end, the East got the victory thanks to the hometown kid, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers.
3. NBA All-Star Game 2025: Team Shaq vs. Team Chuck vs. Team Kenny
After failing to give the fans what they wanted in 2023 and 2024, the league decided to change things up again. This time, the NBA instituted a mini-tournament where the 24 NBA All-Stars were divided into three teams, plus a fourth team made up of the league’s rising stars.
But things went horribly south again. The advertisements and entertainment actually felt longer than the actual games. And with each team only needing to hit a target score, the players again played very loose and free—and without a care.
2. NBA All-Star Game 2022: LeBron’s Homecoming in Cleveland
With the Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James coming home to his hometown for the All-Star Weekend, you better believe he put on a show.
Not only did the Chosen One hit the last shot to win the game, Steph Curry also broke the record for the most points scored in an All-Star Game, drilling in 16 three-pointers.
Also, this was the last time that “actual defense” was displayed to some degree in this annual showcase.
1. NBA All-Star Game 2026: Team USA vs. Team World
Thanks to Victor Wembanyama setting the tone by going hard right from the very start, this set of games in 2026 delivered some much-needed excitement.
The first three games all went down to the wire, with each ending on the very last possession and the first two delivering game-winners. The teams actually tried, the players played defense, and they all competed like the games meant something. Of course, it’s a shame Team World’s best players—Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo—either didn’t play or played limited minutes.
Then again, those who did delivered great basketball, especially Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Edwards, who rightfully won NBA All-Star Game MVP.
