This isn’t a surprise, but NBA Commissioner confirmed what had already been discussed: The 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles will be a USA vs. World format.
As Silver noted, this is a natural fit, given that the All-Star Game broadcast is moving to NBC and falling during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next February. While Silver was vague on details, this is expected to be a Ryder Cup-style format, featuring the USA vs. the World. Also, as had been previously discussed, expect the NBA All-Star Game to move to the afternoon Pacific time in Los Angeles, allowing for a Winter Olympic lead-in and more Olympic content after the NBA contest.
Will an international competition get players to actually care about the All-Star Game rather than just go through the motions? Asked about it last All-Star weekend, the international players seemed more enthusiastic about the idea than the Americans.
“I would love that. Oh, I would love that,” the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure, I’d take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete, like having Shai, Jokic, Luka, Wemby, Towns, Sengun. I know those players — obviously I’m missing some guys that I cannot think from the top of my head, going against the best U.S. players. I think it would be fun. I think that would be the best format.”
“I would love to. My opinion is that it’s more purposeful,” the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama said. “There’s more pride in it. More stakes.”
The top end of a hypothetical world roster would be stacked — the last seven MVP winners were international players. The world team would feature Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Wembanyama and more. An American team likely would feature LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jalen Brunson, and its roster likely would be deeper than the World Team.
It’s going to be entertaining to watch when it rolls around next February.
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