Starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be revealed Monday on NBC/Peacock, and once again, the marquee midseason event is being tweaked.
The league confirmed in November that the 2026 “game” will be a round-robin tournament featuring two U.S. teams and one international squad. The teams will feature eight players each and play each other in 12-minute games. Starters for the Eastern and Western conferences are still being selected by fans (50 percent of the vote), current players (25 percent) and a media panel (25 percent). However, unlike in years past, they are being chosen regardless of position.
Ahead of the announcement of starters, three of The Athletic NBA writers who had a vote (Josh Robbins, William Guillory and Zach Harper) shared their ballots and the reasoning behind their choices.
Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.
Ballot No. 1
Writer: Josh Robbins
East starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
West starters: Luka Dončić (Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Nikola Jokić (Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Why those choices? When voting for All-Star starters, I lean toward players who drive winning. In cases where everything else is equal, I reward players whose teams are at or near the top of the standings and who make a positive impact on defense rather than just on offense.
The East was straightforward. Cunningham has been the best player on the team at the top of the conference standings. In addition to his superb scoring, Brown has been a two-way force for a team that, as of the voting deadline, would have had home-court advantage in the playoffs’ first round. Brunson is the key scorer and distributor on the East’s second-best team and led the Knicks to the NBA Cup title.
My final two East spots came down to Antetokounmpo, Maxey, Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Johnson. Maxey has been the leading scorer and most consistent player on a team that would have scuffled without him. Despite the Bucks’ struggles, Antetokounmpo separated himself because of his two-way play.
Dončić, Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić and Wembanyama are the best players on the five best teams in the West standings. In the cases of Jokić and Wembanyama, I did not hold their missed games against them. They were unmistakably dominant forces in the games that they played.
Many others deserve to be starters. Stephen Curry remains a force. LeBron James might be playing his final NBA season, and as one of the greatest players of all time, he has earned one final All-Star nod based on his career accomplishments. But I think voters from within the media should base their choices solely on how players have performed so far this season. I believe that my choices for starters in the West have had better seasons.
Ballot No. 2
Writer: William Guillory
East starters: Antetokounmpo, Brown, Brunson, Cunningham, Maxey
West starters: Dončić, Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, Wembanyama
Why those choices? It took about two minutes to pick my five guys in the East. I feel like the case for all of them is obvious.
Cunningham has been the driving force behind the best team in the conference, and he’s having an MVP-caliber season. Brown and Maxey have both leveled up as guys who were previously All-Stars but are now performing well enough to be in the conversation for first-team All-NBA. Brunson is as steady as ever, and Giannis is Giannis.
Leaving Mitchell off wasn’t an easy decision. He’s been sensational this season, but Cleveland’s overall underwhelming play was the reason he didn’t make the cut for me.
In the West, the easy picks were Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić and Dončić. They’re the three best players in basketball. Giannis is a close fourth, but that’s a different discussion for a different story.
Once again, the Joker and SGA are two of the game’s best. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
Wembayama has been the most exciting player to watch, but the only thing hurting his case is the fact that he’s played fewer than 800 minutes this season by the time voting ended. The other four starters in the West have all played more than 1,000 minutes, but if I gave Giannis (783 minutes as of Friday) the benefit of the doubt, Wemby deserves it too.
The toughest of all my decisions was choosing who would get the final spot in the West. Edwards and Kevin Durant were the two candidates who stood out the most. Edwards’ overall counting numbers are slightly higher, and I think the 37-year-old Rockets star deserves a ton of credit for his efficiency and the leadership role he’s taken on in Houston. But in the end, Houston’s sporadic play over the past few weeks ultimately gave Edwards the advantage.
Ballot No. 3
Writer: Zach Harper
East starters: Antetokounmpo, Brown, Brunson, Cunningham, Maxey
West starters: Dončić, Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, Wembanyama
Why those choices? The East felt straightforward. Giannis is an obvious lock. He’s been so dominant when he’s on the court that it makes you forget how mediocre the rest of the team is at times. Maxey and Brown have been two of the best players in the league this season. Cunningham has been spectacular in getting the Pistons to the top of the East. And Brunson has continued to be his typically lethal self on the court. He’s flourishing even more in Mike Brown’s system. The only other consideration for me with starters was Mitchell, but he was penalized for team success.
In the West, Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander were the easiest calls. They’ve continued their historic play this season, and you can’t deny them their spots at the top of the league. Dončić has been fantastic on offense, even with the poor 3-point shooting. Yes, the defense is an issue, but he fits right in with the All-Star Game effort. I know Wemby missed some time, but not enough to feel like he isn’t deserving of being a starter.
My final decision came down to Edwards versus Devin Booker and Kawhi Leonard. Booker has been good but not quite at Edwards’ level. And Leonard only played 10 games through November. Edwards is quietly having a great season.