The timing could not be more perfect.
The NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026 — right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. There is no better time to set up a first-of-its-kind All-Star Game pitting the best of the USA vs. the NBA’s deep international talent pool, a world team.
Now we have the details on exactly what that will look like when the games are played on Feb. 15, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California (home to the Los Angeles Clippers).
- The 24 All-Star players will be divided into three teams — two USA teams and one world team — that will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (getting to the 24 in a traditional All-Star format).
- Selection of All-Star players will remain the way it has been for many years. Fans (along with NBA players and select media) will vote for the 10 starters, five from the Eastern Conference and five from the Western Conference. Following that, a vote of the coaches will select the seven reserves from each conference.
- The one big difference: Votes — and the rosters — will be positionless. Fans will be able to vote for five guards (or, with the West these days, five centers) to start if they choose; they will no longer be locked into two backcourt and three frontcourt players. The same will be true of the coach selections for reserves. This simply fits better with the increasingly positionless style of the NBA game today.
- If that selection process does not end up with 16 U.S. players and eight international players (including American players with ties to other countries, if necessary), then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select an additional player or players to join either group to reach that minimum. Which means some teams could have nine or more players.
- How the players will be assigned to the two U.S. teams will be determined at a later date.
- Once selected, those three teams will play in a classic round-robin format: Team A will play Team B in Game 1; the winning team from Game 1 will take on Team C in Game 2; followed by the losing team of Game 1 meeting Team C in Game 3.
- From there, the top two teams by record advance to the finals, a fourth game. (Note: if all three teams have a 1-1 record after Game 3, the tiebreaker would be point differential.)
Bringing the energy
After the last handful of years, Silver and the NBA have been searching for ways to get more player buy-in — not to mention passion and energy — for the All-Star Game. The hope is that this format change will encourage players to bring the energy fans want to see.
“I would love that. Oh, I would love that,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said at last season’s All-Star Game about the idea of a USA vs. the World format. “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 would love to. My opinion is that it’s more purposeful,” Victor Wembanyama added about the idea at the time. “There’s more pride in it. More stakes.”
That eight-man World Team roster could be stacked: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Alperen Sengun, Joel Embiid and Jamal Murray (not to mention Franz Wagner, Lauri Markkanen and more) could qualify for the international team.
Whoever ends up on the court, the pride of playing for one’s country should inspire one of the best All-Star Games we have seen in a long time.
When is the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?
The NBA All-Star Game returns to the Los Angeles area this season, with the game being played on Feb. 15, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, and will be broadcast on NBC Sports and Peacock. The All-Star Friday Night Rising Stars game (featuring NBA rookies and second-year players) as well as the All-Star Saturday Night events, including the Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest, will also take place at the Intuit Dome. Fans will be able to watch all of it on NBC Sports and Peacock.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.