The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is set to undergo major changes when it takes the floor in Los Angeles next February.
Only shooting stars break the mold and the 2026 NBA All-Star Game is apparently attempting to do the same.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver previewed changes to the annual exhibition during a Wednesday appearance on Fox Sports‘ “Breakfast Ball,” revealing that “some form of USA against the world” will be staged on the floor of Intuit Dome on Feb. 15.
Silver was inspired by both the National Hockey League’s staging of its inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, a weeklong competition starring international teams in lieu of an all-star game, as well as the fact that the NBA’s exhibition was moving back to NBC under the new media deal that kicks in next season. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be sandwiched by NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics in Italy, placing the exhibition in a rare afternoon timeslot.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirms there will be USA vs. the World in the 2026 All-Star Game 👀
“I’m not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was a huge success.”@craigcartonlive | @DannyParkins | @markschlereth pic.twitter.com/WsEzhe4Jkk
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) June 4, 2025
“We’ll be smack in the middle of the Winter Olympics,” Silver said. “The very day we’re on, the lead-in will be Winter Olympic events and then coming out of the All-Star Game, which is now going to be in the afternoon instead of the evening, there will be more Olympic events.”
“So what better time to feature some form of USA against the world? I’m not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I obviously paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did with the (4 Nations Face-Off), which was a huge success. But also going back, last summer, our Olympic competition was a huge success.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off placed NHL stars on a series of nationally-branded superteams, with the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden represented in a nine-day competition staged in Boston and Montreal. Canada defeated the U.S. by a 3-2 final in overtime at TD Garden, avenging a 3-1 loss at Bell Centre during pool play.
Moving to such a format is the NBA’s latest attempt to liven up the main event on All-Star Weekend, which has faced an increased amount of scrutiny for the lack of effort on display from participants.
The latest edition in February turned to a four-team, three-on-three tournament format consisting of three squads drafted by “NBA on TNT” personalities Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith plus the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge from earlier in the weekend (overseen by another TNT personality in Candace Parker). The year prior, defense was at an absolute premium in a brief return to the conference-vs.-conference format, one that yielded a final score of 211-186 in favor of the East.
The most prominent attempt at an officially sanction “USA vs. all” was perhaps staged at the NHL All-Star Game between 1998 and 2002, which opted for a “North America vs. The World” showdown. NHL all-stars squared off against the Soviet Union in 1979 and 1987.
On the hardwood, WNBA All-Star Games have pitted the United States’ women’s national basketball team against a team of WNBA standouts of all nationalities (including American) during Olympic years. Team WNBA won the most recent competition last July by a 117-109 final.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
