The 2026 NBA All-Star Game, taking place at Intuit Dome near Los Angeles, will tip off Friday with a plethora of superstar players heading into Tinseltown for a jam-packed weekend.
Some fresh new faces of the league get things started with the Rising Stars showcase Friday. With No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg out through the All-Star break with injury, the young troupe will be headlined by Rookie of the Year contender Kon Knueppel.
On Saturday, the league’s top-tier talents will demonstrate their skills in the 3-point shoot-off, shooting stars competition and slam dunk contest. Most notably, Damian Lillard will participate in the 3-point contest despite an Achilles injury that has kept him out the entire season. The two-time 3-point champion will be challenged by Donovan Mitchell, who leads the league in 3-pointers made, along with other sharpshooters, including Tyrese Maxey and Devin Booker.
Finally, on Sunday, three star-stacked teams will take the stage in a new format that rosters American players against international players. Can Victor Wembanyama lead Team World against Kevin Durant and Team Stripes? Or will Anthony Edwards spoil the fun leading Team Stars?
Our NBA insiders gave a sneak preview of what to watch heading into the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, including who they pick to win each event.
Expert picks were voted on by a panel of NBA insiders.
Rising Stars | Saturday skills | USA vs. World tournament
Knueppel and Queen usher in the next wave of Rising Stars
Friday, 9 p.m. ET (Peacock)
There will be a Cooper Flagg-shaped void in this event, with a foot sprain sidelining 2025’s No. 1 pick for the duration of the weekend. The game should still be a fun spotlight for the strong 2025 draft class, with Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe all on different teams. Stephon Castle, reigning Rookie of the Year, and Alex Sarr are among 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, Derik Queen and Matas Buzelis. Whether I’m right or wrong, I’m willing to bet history won’t remember in this case. — Jeremy Woo
Game 1: Team Melo vs. Team Austin
Game 2: Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Expert picks: Team Melo
Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady drafted their seven-player teams tonight for the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars, selecting from a pool of 21 NBA rookies and sophomores.
Austin Rivers will serve as honorary coach for the NBA G League team.
Complete rosters ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rb27MzX30b
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 28, 2026
Celebrity takeover!
Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
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 Phoenix Suns‘ Mat Ishbia and the Charlotte Hornets‘ 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 Defense 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 @NBAAllStar #RufflesCelebGame rosters
🏀 Friday, Feb. 13 | 7p ET | ESPN
More: https://t.co/wCR9iDfnJB pic.twitter.com/RMttC7dOmg
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 3, 2026
Legendary team-ups, high-flying dunks and Dame Time for All-Star Saturday
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
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), Norman Powell (49%) and Jamal Murray (48%). Bobby Portis, 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
🌟 2026 @StateFarm 3-Point Contest field! 🌟
NBA All-Star Saturday: 2/14, 5:00pm/et on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/MQnCVh1UtA
— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2026
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. Jaxson Hayes is a seven-year veteran with his fair share of slams from the center position, but second-year forward Keshad Johnson and rookies Carter Bryant and Jase Richardson 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 Jalen Johnson‘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
🌟 The 2026 @Kia Shooting Stars teams! 🌟
NBA All-Star Saturday: 2/14, 5:00pm/et on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/WeZwcVSDNg
— NBA (@NBA) February 7, 2026
International vs. homegrown? What to watch in the All-Star game
Sunday, 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
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 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry 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 LeBron James, 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
Game 1: Stars vs. World
Game 2: Stripes vs. Game 1 winner
Game 3: Stripes vs. Game 1 loser
Game 4: All-Star Championship
Expert picks: Team World
🇺🇸 USA STARS. USA STRIPES. WORLD. 🌍
The updated 2026 NBA All-Star Game Rosters!
The three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament with the top two teams advancing to the championship game.
🌟 Sunday, Feb. 15, 5pm/et, NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/sgNVMa2FG2
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2026
