The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend

 The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend was held at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. This marked the league's 75th edition with a bold new twist: a USA vs. World format featuring three teams, USA Stars, USA Stripes, and Team World. The teams play in a round-robin mini-tournament. 

While the event aimed to inject fresh energy into a mid-season spectacle that's faced criticism in recent years, reactions were mixed. From thrilling overtime finishes to lackluster crowds, here's a balanced breakdown of the highs, lows, and downright disappointments.

The Good: Competitive Sparks and Standout Moments

This year's revamped All-Star Game format delivered on its promise of more intensity, turning what could have been another exhibition snoozer into a series of engaging matchups. Game 1 between USA Stars and Team World went to overtime, with Scottie Barnes hitting a game-winning three-pointer to secure a 37-35 victory for the Stars. Anthony Edwards led with 13 points, while Victor Wembanyama dropped 14 for the World squad in a back-and-forth battle that had fans on the edge of their seats. Game 2 saw De'Aaron Fox nail a buzzer-beating corner three to lift USA Stripes over USA Stars 42-40, and Kawhi Leonard's 15 straight points in Game 3 helped eliminate Team World 48-45. The championship was a blowout, with USA Stars routing USA Stripes 47-21, but Edwards' tournament-high 32 points across games earned him the Kobe Bryant MVP award. 

Saturday night shone brightly, too. Damian Lillard claimed his third State Farm 3-Point Contest title, edging out Devin Booker in the final round. Team Knicks dominated the Kia Shooting Stars challenge, racking up 47 points to win. Many fans on social media called it the "best All-Star Sunday in forever," noting the teams' genuine effort to win. The Rising Stars games and 3-Point Contest were rated highly for their excitement, proving that when the format clicks, the event can still captivate.

The Bad: Selection Snubs, Uneven Energy, Empty Seats

Not everything glittered under the Los Angeles lights. The All-Star selections sparked widespread debate, with notable omissions like Joel Embiid, who is playing at All-NBA levels but sidelined by injuries or games missed, feeling like major oversights. Pascal Siakam's spot on a 13-win team fueled theories that the league padded the World roster to fit the new format, ignoring traditional emphasis on winning records. The East-West voting split clashed awkwardly with the USA-World setup, leading calls for a simple Top 24 selection process.

Crowds at Intuit Dome appeared half-empty during some of the events, and not all competitions maintained momentum. The AT&T Slam Dunk Contest, won by Keshad Johnson over Carter Bryant, featured solid dunks like Johnson's leap over E-40 but drew flak for lacking big-name stars, relying instead on G-League and lesser-known talent.

The Ugly: Early Start Time

The loudest and most widespread complaint wasn’t the format, the dunks, or the celebrity game; it was the brutally early start times forced by the overlapping 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC.

All-Star Saturday tipped off at 5 p.m. ET (just 2 p.m. local in Los Angeles), and Sunday’s main event followed the exact same early slot. The reason was simple and infuriating to many: NBC needed the NBA showcase wrapped by 8 p.m. ET so it could pivot straight into primetime Winter Olympics coverage from Milan-Cortina. What used to be a glittering prime-time party now felt like a rushed afternoon matinee. West Coast fans were done with the entire "Saturday Night" events before most families had finished dinner. East Coast viewers said they missed half the show because they expected the usual 8 p.m. start. The traditional big-night energy was completely gone.