The NBA is shaking things up again.
For the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, the league is likely to roll out a new round-robin format featuring three eight-player teams — two from the United States and one representing the rest of the world, according to senior insider Shams Charania.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game format is likely to feature a round-robin tournament consisting three eight-player squads of two USA teams and one World team, sources tell ESPN. NBA and players union presented format to the Competition Committee on Wednesday and response was positive.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 3, 2025
Charania reported that the squads will play against each other in 12-minute quarter games. The showcase is set for February 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
It will be the second consecutive year the league has experimented with its midseason classic. Last year, the league introduced a mini-tournament with four teams, including the Rising Stars Challenge winners.
Shaquille O’Neal’s OG squad defeated Charles Barkley’s Global Stars, 41-25, in the final, with Stephen Curry winning his second All-Star Game MVP. Kenny Smith’s Young Stars and a Rising Stars roster led by WNBA legend Candace Parker also competed.
[ALSO READ: MVP Stephen Curry describes NBA All-Star Game in front of home crowd as 'extra special']
This year’s plan scraps the Rising Stars element, leaving two USA teams and one World team for a total of 24 All-Stars.
The international pool is deep, with MVPs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid eligible, along with Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Jamal Murray and more. Franz Wagner, Lauri Markkanen, Kristaps Porzingis, Alperen Sengün, and Rudy Gobert also highlight the global depth.
For the U.S. squads, options range from veterans like Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant to younger stars such as Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, and Jalen Brunson.
The 2025-26 NBA season will open when SGA and the Thunder host Kevin Durant and his Houston Rockets followed by Curry and his Warriors traveling to LA to face James, Doncic and the Lakers.
[ALSO READ: SGA, Thunder begin title defense vs Durant, Rockets; Curry-James duel opens 2025-26 season]
