NBA mulling All-Star Game change: USA vs. World

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The NBA is considering changing the format of the 2026 All-Star Game in Los Angeles to an international competition.

Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the league was going “back to the drawing board” following its unpopular three-game mini-tournament at the 2025 All-Star Game.

On Monday, Silver said an international format — pitting U.S.-born players against a roster of foreign-born players — is appealing because the game will air on NBC during the middle of that network’s Winter Olympics coverage.

“Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris, we’re discussing concepts with the players association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past,” he told The Athletic.

Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, added that NBC is “very much leaning into” the idea of a “U.S. versus rest of the world” format for the Feb. 15 game at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

The Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, also will host the basketball competition at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“So I think all of those factors, when they come together, 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,” Silver said.

According to the league, about 70 percent of the NBA’s players are American. However, the international pool of talent includes superstars Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama and others.

–Field Level Media