The NBA will debut a new U.S. versus World format for the 2026 All-Star Game.
SAN ANTONIO — The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced a new U.S. versus World format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game set to debut on Sunday, Feb. 15, at the 2026 All-Star Weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA.
According to the announcement, there will be two U.S. teams and one international team (the World team) competing in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games. Each team will have at least eight players.
As in the past, 24 NBA All-Stars (12 from each conference) will be selected as follows: The five players honored as starters from each conference will be chosen by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%), and the seven players honored as reserves from each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches.
The All-Stars will be selected without regard to position, and the process for assigning players to the two U.S. teams will be determined at a later date, the league announced.
Here’s additional information via the NBA:
If NBA All-Star voting does not result in the selection of 16 U.S. players and eight international players (which can include American players with ties to other countries if necessary), then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum. In that case, at least one team would have more than eight players.
You can expect San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama to join the World Team (France), making the squad a formidable opponent for the U.S.
AUSTIN SPURS ARE OFF TO A HOT START
The Austin Spurs are off to an undefeated start at 2-0 after winning their home opener, defeating the Birmingham Squadron, 110-97.
Jamaree Bouyea led Austin with 28 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. San Antonio’s two-way player Harrison Ingram and Kyle Mangas each added 17 points, with Ingram recording 10 rebounds. Stanley Umude scored 16 points, and Riley Minix contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.
Next, Austin will visit the Memphis Hustle on Saturday, Nov. 15, which will be available to watch on the G League App.