The NBA All-Star Recreation will formally interact in a “USA vs the World” format in a brand new twist for the annual mid-winter exhibition.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Recreation is formally US in opposition to the world.
The Affiliation has finalized the format for the upcoming exhibition in Inglewood, CA, which is able to situate American All-Stars in opposition to worldwide skills. The sport will probably be held on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Intuit Dome, residence of the Los Angeles Clippers, with a 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT tip-off. NBC will deal with broadcasting duties for the primary time for the reason that 2002 version in Philadelphia, with streaming out there on Peacock.
Outlined in a launch from the NBA, the All-Star Recreation will truly be a quartet, with 4 video games staged at Intuit Dome. Three groups, consisting of a minimal of eight males every, will partake within the occasion, taking part in one another in a round-robin outing. Two of the groups will probably be composed of People, whereas the outlier will function worldwide stars.
2026 NBA All-Star Recreation Set to Function Spherical-Robin Format, Group Choice Defined
Within the preliminary spherical, “Group A” performs “Group B” earlier than the winner of the opener performs the third squad. The runner-up of recreation one then performs Group C, with the highest two teams advancing to the championship finale. Level differential will settle any tiebreakers.
Although the league has dropped the standard Japanese Convention vs. Western Convention format, a dozen gamers from every will nonetheless be chosen for the rosters. This time round, nevertheless, gamers will probably be chosen no matter place. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will be capable to add gamers to the sport if the specified ratio of 16 People and eight worldwide representatives is just not met by the preliminary voting.
This marks the primary time that the NBA has turned to nationwide connections for its annual All-Star Recreation, the most recent try and rediscover the exhibition’s aggressive spirit. Latest All-Star Video games have been criticized for his or her lack of effort, together with final yr’s showdown in San Francisco that noticed three “fantasy” groups curated by “NBA on TNT” personalities battle a fourth consisting of winners from the Rising Stars showcase two nights earlier than in a bracketed match.
Different All-Star gimmicks included gamers holding a fantasy draft and taking part in to focus on scores within the fourth quarter.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Recreation will debut a brand new U.S. vs. World format, airing Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
Two U.S. groups and one worldwide staff will compete in a round-robin match with 4 12-minute video games.
📰 Full launch: https://t.co/ULQZEn5N78 pic.twitter.com/fWlozXSrwf
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 12, 2025
USA vs. World Format
Shifting to a “USA vs. the World” format is available in anticipation of the 2028 Summer season Olympics, which will probably be staged in Los Angeles (with the boys’s and ladies’s motion set to be staged at Intuit Dome) and broadcast on re-welcomed NBA broadcast companion NBC.
Pitting American All-Stars in opposition to their league contemporaries is just not unparalleled amongst main North American sports activities leagues: the WNBA, for instance, has routinely held a “Group USA vs. WNBA” showcase throughout Olympic years, with the American group set to signify the nation on the Video games going through off in opposition to different league superstars who are usually not on that group for no matter purpose.
Previous to that, the Nationwide Hockey League used a equally styled “North America vs. the World” format for its All-Star Recreation from 1998 to 2002. The NHL additionally discovered success by eschewing its All-Star Recreation in favor of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which featured American, Canadian, Finnish, and Swedish squads composed of league expertise competing for nationwide glory.
MLB stars may also compete within the World Baseball Basic this March, the sixth version of the match since its introduction in 2006.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
