Feb. 15, 2026, 5:59 p.m. ET
Superstar Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić are two of the world’s best players. But the annual NBA All-Star Game has never really been their cup of tea, particularly from an effort perspective.
That’s what should make their active status on the bench in Sunday’s exhibition so unsurprising.
After playing just a few minutes, both Jokić and Dončić exited Sunday’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles. It’s easy to explain why. For one, both players are still nursing recent injury recoveries (a knee bone bruise for Jokić and a hamstring strain for Dončić). For two guys who probably weren’t going to play hard no matter what, it doesn’t make much sense for them to push themselves in a meaningless game. This is while noting that similar stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steph Curry are both sitting out with their own injuries.
Factor in a new All-Star format with singular 12-minute quarters and short overtime periods, and it’s no shock to see likely little further playing time for two top-five players.