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A major change is coming to the NBA All-Star Game.
The 2026 showcase in Los Angeles will feature a new round-robin format with three teams, two USA squads and one World squad, according to ESPN.
“The NBA and the players’ union presented the format to the league’s competition committee on Wednesday,” Sources told ESPN.
Governors, team executives, and players discussed the plan during the meeting, and the early response was described as positive.
Under the proposal, the three teams will face off in 12-minute quarter games, a shift from last season’s experiment with four single-elimination squads playing to a target score of 40 points. That format drew criticism from several players, who felt the breaks during and between games disrupted the flow.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been open about shaking up the event.
“It’s not lost on us that the 2026 All-Star Game will be played amid the Winter Olympics — as well as at the location for the 2028 Summer Games,” Silver said earlier this year. “It presents an enormous opportunity for us to do something with an international competition instead of the traditional All-Star formats that we’ve used.”
The NBA noted that about 70 percent of its players are American, meaning the new format could make it easier for international stars to earn an All-Star roster spot in a U.S. vs. the World-style setup.
Breaking the news, Shams Charania also highlighted the timing of the announcement, calling it “a shift designed to bring fresh energy to All-Star Weekend.”
The 2026 All-Star Game will take place February 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the LA Clippers. The league confirmed that the broadcast will move from its usual Sunday evening slot to a Sunday afternoon tipoff on NBC.
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