Revolution in the NBA All-Star Game
The format of the All Star Game, the NBA’s traditional showcase, is changing, and for the next edition, number 75, it will feature three teams: the two classic Eastern and Western Conference selections, but only with U.S. players, and a World Team, composed of players from the other nations that played in professional basketball’s top league.
The mini-tournament will take place on Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, which opened last year in Inglewood, Calif. It will be a triangular, with four games of 12 minutes each including the final, pitting the top two against each other.
For the 2026 All Star Game, the 24 players, 12 from the West and as many from the East but eight from each team, will be chosen solely on merit. Deciding who will be summoned as starters will be the outcome of a vote involving fans 50%, active players 25%, and a committee of media representatives the remaining 25%.
The seven “reserves” who will represent each conference, on the other hand, will be selected by NBA coaches. If 16 U.S. players and eight from the rest of the world do not make it out of the ballot, it will be up to the commissioner, Adam Silver, to issue additional call-ups in order to meet the criteria.
