As Los Angeles hosts the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend ahead of the LA28 Olympic Games, the dominance of international superstars across the NBA has contributed to the league introducing a new format for this year’s All-Star game: Team USA. vs. Team World.

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on the final day of All-Star weekend, Sunday (15 February), at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home arena in Inglewood, California, with action beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

75th NBA All-Star Game debuts new format

For the first time, the All-Star Game will feature a “USA vs. World” round-robin tournament format, including two American teams – Team USA Stars and Team USA Stripes – that will compete against Team World. 

Each contest will consist of 12-minute games, leading into a final championship matchup between the top two teams. Each player on the championship team will receive $125,000 US, runners-up earn $50,000 US, and players on the third-place squad take home $25,000 US.

The format marks the third change in three years as the league continues searching for ways to boost competitiveness after fan criticism of recent All-Star contests. The NBA briefly returned to an East vs. West format in 2024 before experimenting with last year’s mini-tournament led by former NBA stars and Rising Stars participants.