The 2026 , taking place at the Intuit Dome near Los Angeles, tipped off Friday with a plethora of superstar players arriving for a jam-packed weekend.
Some fresh new faces of the league got things started with the Rising Stars showcase Friday. With No. 1 pick out through the , the young troupe was headlined by Rookie of the Year contender , who took home MVP honors.
On Saturday, the league’s top-tier talents demonstrate their skills in the 3-point contest, Shooting Stars competition and dunk contest. Most notably, took home the 3-point contest despite an Achilles injury that has kept him out the entire season. Team Knicks (, and Allan Houston) followed up Lillard’s performance by winning the Shooting Stars competition before the ‘s won the dunk contest.
Finally, on Sunday, three took the court in a new format that rosters American players against international players. However, the youth-filled Team Stars came out on top, defeating Team Stripes handily in the final game of the star-studded weekend, with taking the All-Star MVP award home.
Our NBA insiders gave a sneak preview of what to watch heading into the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend and their biggest takeaways from each day.
Expert picks were voted on by a panel of NBA insiders.
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Team Stars dominates Team Stripes in All-Star Weekend final
The NBA faces perilous headwinds.
The , the host for All-Star Weekend, are under investigation for possible salary cap circumvention. Several teams are tanking their seasons for better draft picks. Too many stars are injured or sitting out due to load management. And don’t forget the October 2025 federal investigation into illegal gambling — with links to organized crime — that ensnared current and former NBA players and a coach.
Given everything that has collectively threatened the integrity of the league, the NBA desperately needed a win, and it received one over All-Star Weekend.
The new format for the All-Star Game itself, featuring three teams in four-game round-robin play, proved an undisputed success.
Players hustled on defense, fought for calls and scrapped for rebounds. For the most part, the games were razor close as the seconds ticked down. There were buzzer-beaters that fell and others that barely missed. Most of all, the energy returned to a game — even if there were four of them — after being absent for some time.
Yes, it’s a minor victory amid all the tumult facing the league, but give credit where it’s due: The new format worked.
The championship matchup was the least competitive, with the veteran-laden Team Stripes seemingly running out of gas early in its third game, especially as the more youthful Team Stars jumped out to a 16-3 lead.
Five straight points from Minnesota star ballooned the lead to 26-9 with 6:02 left, putting the game out of reach. By then, Team Stripes had missed 13 of its 16 shots.
From there, Team Stars cruised to a balanced 47-21 win, led by nine points from Philadelphia’s and eight each from Edwards and Oklahoma City’s . — Baxter Holmes
Hometown hero leads Team Stripes to the final
The stakes were obviously lower, of course. Still, the Team Stripes-Team World matchup carried echoes of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where some of the NBA’s most established veteran stars — Kevin Durant, , et al. — faced off against a -led squad.
Wembanyma had already established in the first game of the evening that these contests mattered to him, and he continued to showcase effort, energy and emotion, encouraging his teammates on every play while fighting for calls from the officials. He made four of his first five shots — half of them dunks — and scored 11 of his team’s first 27 points to take a comfortable lead.
But then Clippers star Kawhi Leonard — playing in his home gym as a late addition to All-Star Weekend — turned it on for Team Stripes, hitting four straight buckets while “M-V-P” chants rained down as he gave his squad a 31-29 lead with 4:51 left.
And Leonard’s hot streak continued from there — much as it has throughout his recent production in the regular season.
Leonard finished with a blistering 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range, carrying Team Stripes to a 48-45 win and establishing himself as a front-runner for the All-Star Game MVP. — Holmes
and Team Stripes hit buzzer-beater over Team Stars
There have been plenty of theories as to why the competitiveness of the All-Star Game has fallen off in recent years. Most of those correspond with the careers of the players on the Stripes, the so-called old-heads team.
Whether that’s fair is a matter of debate. But from the moment tossed his chalk up in the air before the start of this game against the Stars — the younger-generation United States team — it was clear that the veterans intended to put a little respect on their names. hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring, stole the ball from and ran to the corner to hit a 3 of his own. Durant stole the ball from and fouled him. (Let’s stop there to point out: Fouls were committed! Real fouls! Steals were made! Real steals!)
Sometimes the person committing the foul stopped to apologize, like to at one point. And through it all, kept shooting, finishing with a team-high 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. At 29, Brown is one of the youngest players on the veteran team, so it made sense for him to play nine of the 12 minutes. And Durant, James and Mitchell swinging the ball to 28-year-old De’Aaron Fox for the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired? Score one for the old guys. — Ramona Shelburne
Team Stars takes Team World in OT
vowed to make the All-Star Game more competitive and backed up his words with his play, scoring the World team’s first seven points against the USA Stars to start off Sunday’s new format.
With — playing for the first time in more than a week after a four-game absence because of a mild hamstring strain — limited to two points in five minutes, gave the World a boost off the bench with 10 points, including a deep 3 that forced the Stars to call a timeout and regroup.
In Wembanyama’s second shift of the period, he pinned a layup attempt against the glass for his third blocked shot of the game. (13 points) hit a 3 with 14.3 seconds left to tie it at 32-32 to force overtime. The OT period was first to five points, and Wembanyama hit a 3 to give the World a 3-2 lead, but made the one shot he took count, nailing a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Stars the 37-35 opening win.
Wemby (14 points, 6 rebounds) didn’t get the win but got credit from Edwards during the guard’s on-court interview for “setting the tone” at the event that already looked vastly different from the defense-optional games in recent years. — Dave McMenamin
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Overall takeaways
Damian Lillard’s triumphant return to the NBA stage captured the essence of what All-Star Weekend has always been about: Entertaining the fans and doing it with some flair.
Lillard was last seen on the court clutching the back of his leg during the NBA playoffs last season, knowing his Achilles tendon was ruptured when he was a Milwaukee Buck.
The last thing anyone expected was him winning his third 3-point contest title less than nine months later, and doing it back in that uniform he’s become so synonymous with.
He defeated guard and rookie in the finals to take home the trophy and tie Larry Bird and Craig Hodges for most 3-point contest wins.
In the aftermath, he spoke about doing this for the fans, prompting a roar from the still-arriving crowd.
As has become routine over the last decade, the 3-point contest brings out the best names, storylines and drama — relative to the perpetually underwhelming Slam Dunk Contest because the stars won’t agree to compete.
second-year forward was giddy to be there and used every bit of his 15 minutes of fame to etch his name in history with a dunk contest victory, beating rookie . Bryant had some flair of his own but didn’t have enough energy to put down his final dunk — which ranked high in difficulty.
The contingent of , , and Rick Brunson took home the Shooting Stars trophy with a last-second win over a group that featured Knueppel, Hawks forward and former NBA player Corey Maggette.
The day felt a bit awkward given the early start on the west coast, but the crowd was engaged by the end, even if there weren’t big stars delivering on the growing atmosphere. Perhaps it’s something the NBA, forever willing to tinker with its midseason showcase, will take a look at before next season in Phoenix. — Vincent Goodwill
Slam dunk contest
The Miami Heat’s looked happiest to be at the dunk contest — an event that sometimes lacks energy as the premier event of All-Star Weekend — on Saturday night and perhaps that was fitting, as he eventually walked away from the trophy.
The second-year forward defeated rookie in the final, when Bryant couldn’t convert a creative between-the-legs, over-the-head dunk. The two advanced to the final over center and guard .
Richardson had a scary moment when he fell flat on his back during a dunk attempt, getting a bit stuck on a 360 dunk. Luckily, he popped back up and completed his next chance — nearly capturing the spirit of the dunk contest his dad, Jason, did as a two-time winner of the contest in the early 2000’s.
Johnson brought out rapper E-40 in his introduction and ultimately leapt over him while cupping the ball on his first dunk, surprising many in the crowd who hadn’t seen or heard much from him before.
And even though it took him a couple of tries in the final, he put his last dunk away with ease, earning a close to perfect score from the judges.
It put the pressure on Bryant, who couldn’t complete his attempts in the allotted time before putting away a basic dunk just so he could register a score.
In the end, Heat czar Pat Riley stood to his feet while Johnson danced in celebration as the winner. — Goodwill
Shooting Stars
Team Knicks had its work cut out for it, with Team Cameron (Atlanta’s , Charlotte’s and former NBA player Corey Maggette) hitting a bevy of half-court shots to put the pressure on , and to beat the clock and hit deep shots of its own. Team Knicks needed four half-court shots to win, and Towns unleashed from 30 feet to bring the team closer, while Brunson played the finisher to clinch the Shooting Stars competition.
“I felt very confident in our team, especially Allan Houston,” Towns said afterward.
The NBA has tried various versions of this, at times using WNBA players and most recently, deploying a skills competition that didn’t return after last year’s .
This competition had a twist, with Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, delivering passes to the shooters. Houston, now in the Knicks’ front office, was one of the most prolific 3-point shooters during his NBA days and showed his skills from midrange, while the current Knicks hit from deep to seal the victory. — Goodwill
3-point contest
The 3-point contest came down to two repeat winners and one new kid on the block — it did not disappoint.
star won for the third time in the last four years — becoming the third three-time winner since the competition started in 1986 — to thwart the ‘ from winning his second and rookie from winning his first.
This win might have been the most impressive of his three, as Lillard entered the shootout despite not playing a game all season for the Blazers as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
“To get some competition, feel a little pressure, get in front of the fans again is a great experience,” Lillard told NBC on the court after receiving the trophy.
Booker went last in the final round and had a shot at beating Lillard’s score of 29, but he missed his final three “money ball” shots — which would have been worth two points apiece — to stall out at 27 points and fall two points short of Lillard. — McMenamin
3-point champion: ()
Shooting Stars champion: Team Knicks (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Alan Houston)
There will be a -shaped void in this event, 2025’s No. 1 pick for the duration of the weekend. Plus, former No. 2 pick will be absent from Friday’s faceoffs after sustaining a right hamstring strain, which will . The game should still be a fun spotlight for the strong 2025 draft class, with , and all on different teams. , reigning Rookie of the Year, is one of the top second-year players involved. Originally, I would have picked Flagg’s team to win the mini-tournament, but with him sidelined, I suppose I’ll take Team Vince, which includes Edgecombe, and . Whether I’m right or wrong, I’m willing to bet history won’t remember in this case. — Jeremy Woo
Game 1: Team Melo 40, Team Austin
Game 2: Team Vince 41, Team T-Mac 36
Game 3: Team Vince 25, Team Melo 24
Winner: Team Vince
The celebrity game returns with familiar faces on the court, but what stands out this year is the fact that two current NBA governors will participate — the ‘ Mat Ishbia and the ‘ Rick Schnall, who have a combined age of 103.
However, history says when it comes to the celebrity game, age is just a number. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan routinely showed up while playing in his late 40s/early 50s (he won MVP in 2014 at 49).
NFL star wide receivers Keenan Allen and Amon-Ra St. Brown will take the court, too, as well as ESPN’s own NBA insider Shams Charania. Luckily, the trade deadline is behind us, meaning Charania can play phone-free. — Anthony Gharib
Introducing the 2026 rosters
🏀 Friday, Feb. 13 | 7p ET | ESPN
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Can Spida spoil Dame Time?
Any of the eight 3-point contestants could get hot for a minute and produce the winning score. But based on each participant’s 3-point percentage on wide-open 3s this year, according to NBA Advanced Stats, the favorites should be Donovan Mitchell (50% on wide-open 3s), (49%) and (48%). , Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Maxey are in the lower 40s, while Devin Booker is all the way down at 31%.
The eighth contestant is the wild card: Damian Lillard hasn’t played an NBA game since tearing an Achilles in the 2025 postseason. But Lillard won this event in 2023 and 2024, and he could become the first three-time winner in the 21st century. (Larry Bird and Craig Hodges each won three times in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.) — Zach Kram
Expert picks: Damian Lillard
New faces and a family affair for the dunk contest
This isn’t the most star-studded field in the dunk contest’s history, and three of the four contestants have scarcely dunked in NBA games. is a seven-year veteran with his fair share of slams from the center position, but second-year forward and rookies and have recorded single-digit dunk tallies this season.
At least there’s star lineage in this field. Richardson’s father is Jason Richardson, who won back-to-back dunk contest crowns in 2002 and 2003 — a few years before Jase was born. — Kram
Expert picks: Keshad Johnson
When you wish upon a shooting star(s)
In place of the skills challenge, the NBA is bringing back the shooting stars competition, which previously ran from 2004 through 2015 and featured three-person teams: a current NBA player, an NBA legend and a WNBA player.
There’s no WNBA presence in the renewed competition, with a second current player joining the three-man teams instead. Two aspects of this year’s teams stand out: Team Harper — with Ron Harper as the NBA legend and Dylan and Ron Jr. as the current NBA players — offers a compelling family element, while first-time All-Star ‘s presence on Team Cameron is ironic, given that Johnson controversially left Duke University in the middle of his freshman season to focus on his preparation for the draft. — Kram
Expert picks: Team Knicks
In its latest attempt to inject some life into the NBA’s midseason showcase, the league is leaning into NBC’s Olympic coverage by deploying a Team USA versus The World format. Sadly, though, the three-team round-robin tournament has already lost some significant participants, with , and ruled out for the All-Star Game, with others to potentially follow.
Still, there’s at least some hope this format could inspire some interesting moments this weekend. The World roster features only one guard (Jamal Murray), and he’s the only player below 6-foot-8. This also could be the final All-Star appearance for , so perhaps he’ll show up to play, wanting to go out with a bang. Either way, it will serve as another referendum on Adam Silver’s ongoing attempts to salvage the event into something more competitive to watch. — Tim Bontemps
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Game 2:
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Game 4:
Expert picks: Team World
