Basketball’s best players are heading to Los Angeles as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend starting on Friday, which features a new-look All-Star Game and classic events like the dunk and 3-point contests. 

The first half of the NBA season wraps up on Thursday evening with three games, including the Lakers vs. the Mavericks, officially signaling the beginning of the five-day break, which features the All-Star events. This year, the event heads to Intuit Dome, the Inglewood home of the Los Angeles Clippers since 2024, when construction was completed. 

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NBA All-Star Game logo for 2026.

NBA

FridayAll-Star Celebrity Game & HBCU Classic

Events kick off on Friday at 4 p.m. PST with the All-Star Celebrity Game, which is being held at the Kia Forum.

This year’s celebrity game rosters are made up of actors, musicians and former athletes. Players include rapper GloRilla, former Laker Jeremy Lin, NFL wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Keenan Allen, former NBA player Tacko Fall and actor Keegan-Michael Key. The teams will be coached by Milwaukee Bucks standout and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, with his two brothers Alex and Thanasis, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, comedian Anthony Anderson and Chris Matthews, otherwise known as @lethalshooter on social media. 

After the celebrity game ends, the Forum will then host the NBA HBCU Classic at 8 p.m. PST. 

Castrol Rising Stars

At the same time as the Forum events are underway, the Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament will take place at the Intuit Dome starting at 6 p.m. PST. There will be two games, pitting the NBA’s youngest stars and G-League players together, before the Castrol Rising Stars Championship game at 7:35 p.m. PST. Teams are being coached by former NBA stars like Carmelo Anthony, Austin Rivers, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter. 

Players include the Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg, the Philadelphia 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe, the Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel, the Houston Rockets’ Reed Sheppard the San Antonio Spurs’ Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. 

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Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trailblazers, holds up the trophy after winning the three-point contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 18, 2023.

Patrick T. Fallon /AFP via Getty Images

Saturday

Saturday begins with All-Star Media Day, when players will interact with fans and journalists at the Intuit Dome beginning at 10:30 a.m. PST. All-Star Saturday, which includes the dunk and 3-point contests, as well as the return of the NBA Shooting Stars competition, then begins at 2 p.m. PST.

3-Point Contest

The field for the State Farm 3-Point Contest this year includes eight contenders: Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) and Norman Powell (Miami Heat). 

NBA Shooting Stars

For the first time since 2015, the NBA Shooting Stars competition returns to All-Star Weekend. The two-round contest features four teams, each made of two current NBA players and a basketball legend. Teams are tasked with scoring points from seven different locations within 70 seconds. The top two teams advance to the final round. 

Teams this year are:

Team All-Star – Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Richard Hamilton, 2004 NBA Champion and Detroit Pistons legendTeam Knicks – Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Karl Anthony Towns (Knicks) and Allan Houston, two-time All-Star and Knicks legendTeam Cameron – Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets), Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) and Corey Maggette, Duke University legend and NBA journeyman who played for six teams. The team’s name is a nod to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the Duke Blue Devils play, and where each played their college ball.Team Harper – Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs), Ron Harper Jr. (Boston Celtics) and Ron Harper, five-time NBA Champion who played with four teams over a 14-year NBA career. He is the father of both Dylan and Ron Harper Jr. Slam Dunk Contest

The third and final event of the night is the always highly anticipated AT&T Slam Dunk contest. This year’s field features four players, including the Lakers Jaxson Hayes, Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs, Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat and Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic.

Sunday

Beginning at 11:30 p.m. PST on Sunday, the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be hosting the NBA Crossover event over the course of the entire weekend, will also hold the NBA G League Next Up Game, a four-team tournament style competition, the NBA G League AT&T Slam Dunk competition and the NBA G Leage State Farm 3-Point Contest. 

The headlining event, the NBA All-Star Game, has a new look and format this year. Instead of one game, the champion will be decided by a four-game tournament pitting some of the league’s best players against one another on three different teams. 

This year’s rosters were separated by age and nationality, versus the traditional East versus West format. USA’s roster was split between younger players and veterans. Teams and rosters are:

Team USA Stars (younger All-Stars)

Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) and Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)

Team USA Stripes (veteran All-Stars)

Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Norman Powell (Miami Heat)

Team World (international All-Stars)

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers), Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers), Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

Game One pits Team USA Stars vs. Team World, while Game Two will have Team USA Stripes taking on the winner of the first game. Game Three will then have Team USA Stripes take on the Game One loser before the All-Star Championship Game at 4:10 p.m. PST. 

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