NBA All-Star Weekend, during the past several years, has faced sharp criticism, even from the highest levels of NBA management.
“I thought this was a little better, but it was a miss,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in March 2025 of last year’s event. “We’re not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of and that our players can be proud of.”
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The 2025 NBA All-Star Game leaned far too much toward spectacle, creating a disjointed viewing experience. Last year marked the final time TNT would broadcast the event, ending a streak of 23 consecutive seasons. To commemorate that, the NBA halted play during the middle of the All-Star Game for a series of skits with comedian Kevin Hart and the “Inside the NBA” crew.
This year, the NBA is turning to a “U.S. vs. World” format, but it’s a structure one four-time All-Star thinks might be a case of too little, too late.
“The lackluster response to the news really just showed me, like, man, All-Star may really be dead,” Draymond Green said in a podcast episode that published Nov. 17. “I think people have just moved on from the whole entire idea.”
Fan patience may also be wearing thin, as the All-Star Game and its satellite events have lacked organic competitive spirit, coming at a time when overt attempts to tank are marring the regular season.
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Here’s a preview of the three marquee events of the 2026 NBA All-Star break, with a glimpse of what fans can expect.
Slam Dunk Contest
This, arguably, is the event most under pressure, and that’s saying something.
The days of having stars compete in the Slam Dunk Contest are gone. The last player to participate in a Dunk Contest the same year he was an All-Star was Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, in 2024. Brown is an exceptionally gifted player, though he’s not a high-flying dunker.
Before Brown, the last All-Star to compete in the Dunk Contest was Victor Oladipo in 2018.
Instead of stars, the NBA has deployed uber-athletic, young players, often G Leaguers, who aren’t household names or rotational players. And while that has led to flashes of brilliance – Mac McClung dazzled during his three-year stretch of dominance in the event – increased incentives to lure stars would go a long way.
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Out of this year’s participants, two average fewer than 10 minutes per game and three of four are below 13 minutes per game.
The general apathy has even reached participants.
In theory, Magic rookie guard Jase Richardson is a nod to nostalgia; his father, Jason Richardson, is a two-time champion (2002, 2003) of the contest and was one of the premier dunkers of his generation.
Yet, the younger Richardson’s highlights from this season show a player whose dunks lack the sizzle fans want to see.
In a social media message responding to Orlando’s congratulatory message that encouraged Richardson to “get it,” his reply was regrettably symbolic of where the Dunk Contest is.
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“i guess,” he wrote, followed by an emoji of a face crying with laughter and another of a man shrugging.
Predicted winner: Keshad Johnson, Miami Heat
3-Point Contest
Of the three events, the 3-Point Contest is the most secure. For one, the game’s best shooters tend to compete. For another, it’s a low-level lift for players – young stars and vets alike – which encourages their full engagement.
This year should be no different, though the absence of Warriors icon Stephen Curry, largely considered the greatest shooter of all-time, is a blow. Still, the field has plenty of talent across the board to make this event compelling.
The trickiest element for the future of the 3-Point Contest is what happens when the generation of shooters that have dominated (think Curry, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson) retire.
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This year, the 3-Point Contest has some juice with the return of Lillard, the two-time champion (2023, 2024) who is competing despite his missing the entire regular season with a torn Achilles tendon. If Lillard wins, he’ll tie the record for most titles all-time.
Predicted winner: Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
NBA All-Star Game
Perhaps looking to seize on momentum the NHL and pro hockey has generated with its 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA is turning to a “U.S. vs. World” format. It will pit two eight-man teams of domestic players – one of younger stars and the other of established veterans – against a third eight-man team of international players in a round-robin tournament.
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It’s an idea that has some promise, but only if players fully buy in. During the past decade, players have loafed through the game, treating defense as a suggestion, not a mandate. That needs to change.
“I want to push the great players of this sport to also play hard like I will,” Victor Wembanyama said recently in French of effort in All-Star games. “We’ll see how it goes. But if they don’t want to go hard, we’ll have to do it without them.”
This is a positive sentiment, and one that should see a small spike in competitiveness, but it’s insufficient.
The NBA needs to incentivize participants further so that they can organically intensify their levels of competition. And while league executives might find these optics unsavory, there’s a very simple solution here: They can increase the purse for the winning team and sweeten the kicker further for the player who wins MVP.
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This would create added expenses for the NBA, but if increased payouts reinvigorate the event, it’s an investment that will pay off over the long run.
Last year, the payout structure for the All-Star Game stipulated that each player on the third- and fourth-place teams netted $25,000. Players on the runner-up squad earned $50,000. For winning players, it was not much better, as they pocketed $125,000.
If there’s one thing that’s incongruous with this highly-commodified stage of capitalism we find ourselves in, one thing that squashes motivation, it’s unpaid labor.
Being an All-Star is an honor, yes, but these players are giving their time to the event, and that may be the most precious commodity of all.
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Predicted winner: Team World
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star Weekend predictions and outlook as questions mount
