The NBA finally seems to have looked the All-Star Game in the eye and said out loud what we all already knew: 48 minutes of “let’s just shoot around” doesn’t sell as an event anymore. So in 2026 they re-tailored the show into “USA vs the World” — and made it shorter, meaner, and closer to a tournament than an exhibition.
What exactly changed
Now it’s three teams: two American teams and one “World” team. And instead of one game, it’s a mini-tournament of four 12-minute games (basically “quarters,” except each one is its own game):
- first A vs B,
- the winner plays C,
- the loser plays C,
- the two best teams by result advance to the final (tiebreaker: point differential).
All of it happens on February 15 at Intuit Dome (Inglewood, the Clippers’ arena).
Who’s already in: 10 “starters” chosen by voting
Officially, the league announced the starting ten (votes: 50% fans + 25% players + 25% media, with no position requirements).
West:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Nikola Jokić
- Luka Dončić
- Stephen Curry
- Victor Wembanyama
East:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Jaylen Brown
- Jalen Brunson
- Cade Cunningham
- Tyrese Maxey
And yes — the word “starters” here is a bit decorative: if you have three teams, then in real life more people will “start.” For now, the league has simply announced, “these ten led the voting.”
What feels most important about this ten
The “World” already looks like an ego problem for the USA
Look at the cold math: half of the “starters” aren’t American. Jokić, Dončić, Shai (Canada), Wemby, Giannis — these aren’t token picks, these are people who can turn basketball into a masterclass.
And this is where the “USA vs World” format finally becomes logical: for the first time in a long while, Americans actually have something to prove — at least on the level of “don’t let us walk into the final uncontested.”
Fan voting can still decide fates
The best example is the story of fifth place in the West. Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards ended up with the same final score, and the starting spot was decided by a tiebreak based on fan rank. The gap was laughably small: 4 505 votes (1 965 462 for Wemby vs 1 960 957 for Edwards).
So yes: sometimes one big late push in the final days of voting — and you’re a starter, while the guy next to you gets, “you’ll make it anyway, stop whining.”
Avdija is the biggest “wait, what?!” on the ballots
Deni Avdija is fifth in the West by fan votes. 2 202 605 votes. Above LeBron, above Durant.
Coaches can say, “Thanks, but we don’t live in the comments section” — and leave him off the reserves. But the fact itself matters: the NBA’s international audience isn’t just making noise anymore — it’s moving the numbers.
LeBron: for the first time in forever — not “by default”
The loudest headline from these results: LeBron James didn’t make the starting five — and his record streak of starts (21 straight) ended.
And it’s not that people “forgot about him.” According to the voting breakdown:
- fans — 1 819 776 (8th in the West),
- players — 53 votes,
- media — 3 votes.
He can still make the All-Star Game via the coaches’ selections — but the fact itself snaps at the era: LeBron has, for the first time, landed in a zone where you can’t just “be LeBron.”
And yes, the season’s “Easter egg”: Bronny got 2 player votes
I love how, in the official table, it looks completely mundane: Bronny James — 2 votes.
And you’re like: “Yup. Got it. Locker rooms have a sense of humor too.”
What happens next
Next, coaches will select 14 reserves (7 from each conference). Then the players will be assembled into three teams, and if the final outcome doesn’t produce the desired “ratio” of 16 USA + 8 international players, the league will fill the gaps manually by the commissioner’s decision.
And that’s when it gets most interesting: when the “World” gets a full roster, and the USA gets not one Dream Team, but two — and neither of them can look like a “B-team.”
Because the new format isn’t about fairness. It’s about something else: the NBA is trying to make it at least a little awkward for stars to play at half speed again. And if that requires pitting passports head-to-head — fine, the league is ready.
