NBA All-Star Game To Have 2 USA Teams, 1 World Team

The NBA All-Star Game will likely feature a new format in 2026, with a round-robin tournament consisting of two teams of United States players and one of international players, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday.

New Format Could Feature Ryder Cup-Style Games

Under the new NBA All-Star Game format, the two USA squads and one World team would face one another in 12-minute per quarter, Ryder Cup-style games.

The Ryder Cup, a golf event pitting players from the United States against players from Europe, takes place over the course of three days. It’s unclear, however, if the new All-Star format would be more or fewer than three days.

“Governors, team executives and players discussed the format within the competition committee meeting, and the response was positive, sources said,” Charania wrote.

The 2026 All-Star Game will be played in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, on Feb. 15. Charania noted that the game, which will be aired on NBC, will shift from a Sunday evening to a Sunday afternoon start time.

In April, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and president of league operations Byron Spruell said the league and NBC, its new broadcast partner, were discussing an “international competition” for the next All-Star Game.

The 2026 All-Star Game will be played at Intuit two years before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. The Olympic basketball games will also be played at the Intuit Dome.

NHL Inspired Change To NBA All-Star Game Format

Last season, the NHL hosted the 4 Nations Face-Off, an event featuring teams of players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden, during its All-Star break.

The tournament culminated with a final between the U.S. and Canada that drew 10.1 million viewers. It became the most-watched non-Olympic hockey game ever.

When Silver confirmed that the All-Star Game would feature U.S. and World teams, he noted the NHL’s success with the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“I’m not exactly sure what the format will be yet,” he said. “I paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was a huge success.”

According to The Athletic’s Jenna West, approximately 25% of current NBA players were born outside of the U.S. For eight consecutive seasons, the NBA MVP has been awarded to a player born outside the U.S., and at least 10 international players have been selected in every draft since 2010.

“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.