For years, the NBA has been trying to make the All-Star Game more intense and meaningful—with limited success so far. Now there’s a new attempt.
According to a new change, the next edition on February 15, 2026, at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome will see a world selection take on two US teams. All three teams, each comprising eight players, will then face each other in a mini-tournament.
There are also changes to the All-Star voting, which traditionally allows fans around the world to participate. Although five starters and seven reserves will continue to be selected from each conference, the nomination process will no longer differentiate by position.
It is also possible that Americans will play on “Team World” if at least eight NBA professionals from abroad do not receive enough votes from fans, colleagues, and journalists.
Many of the top stars in the NBA come from abroad
Since stars such as Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets/Serbia), Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers/Slovenia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks/Greece), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder/Canada), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs/France) and Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic/Germany) all come from outside the US and have a good chance of participating, there should be no major difficulties. In any case, NBA boss Adam Silver has the right to call up additional players for the All-Star team if one of the three teams does not have enough members. How the Americans will be divided between the two teams will be determined at a later date. Due to the Olympic Games taking place at the same time, next year’s All-Star Game will be held earlier. Instead of the usual tip-off time of 2 a.m., fans in Germany will be able to enjoy the game at 11 p.m.
