Just one year after making major changes to its All-Star Game format, the NBA has introduced a new setup for the 2026 edition, which will take place Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
This year, the league is turning to a U.S. vs. World structure with the hope of making the viewing experience more compelling. The NBA’s 25 All-Stars will be put into two American teams (USA Stars and USA Stripes) and one international squad (World), with the three competing in a round-robin tournament. With commissioner Adam Silver adding LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard to the All-Star Game on Tuesday, the USA Stars and USA Stripes will each have eight players, and the World will have nine, with New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns, who is Dominican American, joining the international team.
Here are the rosters for the three teams:
USA Stars: Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Jalen Duren (Pistons), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), coach J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
USA Stripes: Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Norman Powell (Miami Heat), coach Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs)
World: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers), Luka Dončić (Lakers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), coach Darko Rajaković (Raptors)
The three teams will face each other in 12-minute games. The two squads with the best record after the round-robin games will advance to the championship game. Tiebreakers (if multiple teams finish 1-1) will be decided by point differential in each team’s two tournament contests.
The setup includes a prize pool of $1.8 million. Every member of the championship team receives $125,000, players on the runner-up squad get $50,000, and the players on the third team will earn $25,000 each.
The All-Star starters were announced Jan. 19. Of the 10 selections, half were international players. With additions of Murray (Canada), Siakam (Cameroon) and Avdija (Israel) when reserves were announced Sunday, the NBA gained the ability to field a World team.
Coverage of the 75th All-Star Game begins 5 p.m. ET Feb. 15 on NBC and Peacock.
How we got here
The NBA has been struggling for years to find an All-Star Game product that satisfies fans.
In 2024, the league returned to a traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference matchup, after previous attempts to have teams selected by player captains.
In 2025, hoping to find a format that motivates players, the league introduced a mini-tournament. Teams made up of All-Stars were selected by former NBA players and current “Inside the NBA” hosts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. Former WNBA star Candace Parker was the honorary general manager for the Rising Stars squad, which competed against the three All-Star groups.
The NBA announced the new U.S. vs. World format for the 2026 All-Star Game in November.