NBA makes surprising announcement on new All-Star Game format

Contributor
Alex Walsh
NBA makes surprising announcement on new All-Star Game format image

NBA fans have been unhappy over the past few years with the NBA All-Star Weekend.

It's lacked competitiveness and doesn't feel like anything special anymore.

Some sort of change had to be incorporated to change that, and we will see a new idea implemented next in 2026.

MORE: Giannis Antetokounmpo suggests new NBA All-Star Game format

What new format will there be for 2026?

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was on the Breakfast Ball show on FS1 on June 4, where he confirmed the new format idea that will start in 2026.

The All-Star Game will now be a Team USA vs. Team World format.

This came after seeing a lot of success with the NHL changing its format in 2025, as well as a positive public reaction to the 2024 Olympics.

"I'm not exactly sure what the format will be yet," Silver added. "I paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was a huge success."

The idea is hopefully players will be more competitive since they are playing for their country or region.

It will be interesting to see if this affects All-Star voting since this new format would likely mean there would have to be an even number of American players and foreign players.

We've also seen players like Joel Embiid choose what country they play for in the Olympics since they have multiple citizenships.

In that case, it will be interesting to see if the player gets the choice of which team they want to be on.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is set to take place on Feb. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles at the Clippers' new arena, the Intuit Dome.

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