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NBA Finalizes U.S. vs. World, Three-Team Format for 2026 All-Star Game

Selection will be positionless, with a mechanism to ensure minimum U.S. and international representation.

Overview

  • The showcase is set for Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, airing on NBC/Peacock at 5 p.m. ET as part of the network’s Winter Olympics programming window.
  • Two U.S. teams and one World team will play a round-robin of four 12-minute games, with the top two by record advancing to a final and point differential as the three-way tiebreaker.
  • Twenty-four All-Stars (12 per conference) will be chosen without positions, with starters picked by fans (50%), players (25%) and media (25%), and seven reserves per conference selected by head coaches.
  • If voting yields fewer than 16 U.S. players or eight international players, Commissioner Adam Silver will add All-Stars to meet those minimums, which could take the total above 24 and allow eligible Americans to fill the World roster.
  • The league has not yet determined how selected U.S. players will be divided between the two U.S. teams, with that assignment process to be decided later.