75 years into NBA All-Star Games and the league is still tinkering with the format.
For the first time in the sport’s history, the contest will be a three-team round robin tournament culminating in a Championship comprised of the two teams with the winningest record after a trio of 12-minute games.
Last year was a similar affair — four teams played instead of three — but clearly the NBA thinks they can improve when the action gets underway at Inglewood, CA’s Intuit Dome tonight at 5 p.m. ET.
This time around, the 1) young U.S. Stars team made up of players like Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker and Cade Cunningham will take on the 2) older U.S. Stripes squad comprised of vets LeBron James, Jalen Brunson and hometown favorite Kawhi Leonard and the 3) World club featuring Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić and Karl-Anthony Towns.
2026 NBA All-Star Game: what to know
- When: Feb. 15, 5 p.m. ET
- Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
- Channel: NBC
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Stars Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were named to teams, but are all sitting due to injury.
2026 NBA All-Star Game start time:
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game tips off at 5 p.m. ET today (Feb. 15).
How to watch the 2026 NBA All-Star Game for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the NBA All-Star Game for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching TV live for free — it has a five-day free trial and there are a ton of options for plans that include NBC, including genre packs that offer more flexibility at lower price points. NBC is part of the MyNews genre pack and the MySports ($69.99/month) genre pack.
You can also catch every minute of the Olympics with a subscription to Peacock, which starts at $10.99/month.
NBA All-Star Game rosters 2026
Team USA Stars
(younger U.S. players)
- Scottie Barnes
- Devin Booker
- Cade Cunningham
- Jalen Duren
- Anthony Edwards
- Chet Holmgren
- Jalen Johnson
- Tyrese Maxey
Team USA Stripes
(older U.S. players)
- Jaylen Brown
- Jalen Brunson
- Kevin Durant
- De’Aaron Fox
- Brandon Ingram
- LeBron James
- Kawhi Leonard
- Donovan Mitchell
- Norman Powell
- Stephen Curry (injured, will not play)
Team World
(international players)
- Deni Avdija
- Luka Dončić
- Nikola Jokić
- Jamal Murray
- Norman Powell
- Alperen Sengun
- Pascal Siakam
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Victor Wembanyama
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (injured, will not play)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (injured, will not play)
How does the NBA All-Star Game work?
This year’s All-Star Game will be made up of a round-robin, mini-tournament comprised of four 12-minute games.
Here’s how things will shake out:
Game 1
World vs. USA Stars
Game 2
Winning team of Game 1 vs. USA Stripes
Game 3
Losing team of Game 1 vs. USA Stripes
Game 4
All-Star Championship (top two teams from round-robin play)
According to NBA.com, “if all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team’s two games.”
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
