The votes are in.
Fans around the world have voted to choose who should attend the NBA All-Star Game next month in Los Angeles. These fan votes (50% of the total) – combined with votes from NBA players (25%) and some media (25%) – chose the 10 All-Star Game starters, regardless of position. There are five starters from the Eastern Conference and five from the West (although these players will later be split into two USA teams and one World team for the new format, more on that below).
These All-Star Game starters were revealed Monday on NBC, read by the NBA Showtime team live on set just before kickoff of the Oklahoma City-Cleveland game, as part of a quadruple header of Martin Luther King Day games on NBC And Peacock.
Here are the entries.
Cunningham, Giannis lead All-Star starters in the East
NBA Showtime reveals the Eastern Conference All-Star starters, headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham.
Eastern Conference
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Unsurprisingly, Antetokounmpo led all Eastern Conference voters despite his team struggling for most of the first half of the season. He played in 27 games this season, averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 29.0 minutes. Antetokounmpo’s name has been at the center of trade rumors, but injuries have had more of an impact on his production than rumors about where his NBA future might lie. —Raphielle Johnson
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Brunson, the reigning NBA Clutch Player of the Year, is having another stellar season in the Big Apple. Having led the Knicks to the NBA Cup title, he is averaging 28.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.0 three-pointers while shooting 48.1% from the field and 85.2% from the foul line. —Raphielle Johnson
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Two seasons removed from a 28-game losing streak, the Pistons have been the class of the Eastern Conference thus far, and Cunningham is one of the reasons why. Averaging career highs in assists (9.6) and steals (1.5), the point guard also contributes 25.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers per night. The lingering question: As Cunningham gets a start for the midseason classic, how many of his teammates will be chosen to join him in Southern California next month? —Raphielle Johnson
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Thanks in part to Maxey’s skill, the 76ers were able to exercise some patience while Joel Embiid and Paul George returned from offseason knee surgeries. Maxey is averaging career highs in points (30.3), rebounds (4.4), assists (6.7), steals (1.9), blocks (1.0) and three-pointers (3.7) while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 87.8 percent from the foul line. Maxey’s second All-Star Game appearance is well deserved. —Raphielle Johnson
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Due to free agency departures and Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon, many thought the Celtics would take a step back this season. That hasn’t been the case, and Brown’s play is a big reason why. Now a five-time All-Star, he is averaging career highs in points (29.7) and assists (4.8) while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 79.1 percent from the foul line. —Raphielle Johnson
Note: Fans, players and media all had the same starting five (albeit in slightly different orders). Donovan Mitchell also finished sixth in all three polls.
Western Conference
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
The only question about whether the consensus “Best Player in the World” would be an All-Star Game starter was whether his recent knee injury would impact him in the voting. That’s not the case, he was second in the fan vote. (Jokic is expected to return near the end of January, enough time to make the All-Star Game.) Jokic is once again posting MVP numbers of 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per game and the Nuggets look like a playoff threat to the Thunder. —Kurt Helin
Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
The top fan vote-getter was an obvious call to be a part of the team. Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.3 points per game) and averaging 8.6 assists and 7.5 rebounds per night, he is a top-three MVP candidate at mid-season and has been the driving force behind a top-10 Lakers offense and a top-six seed in the West for the team. Simply put, he is currently a top three player in the world and needs to be on this team. —Kurt Helin
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably the best player in the NBA right now and is an obvious starter. He’s the reigning MVP (and favorite to repeat), the Finals MVP who leads the reigning NBA champions, a team on pace for 67 wins this season (despite some recent stumbles). SGA averages 31.8 points per game – and he has scored 20+ points in 112 consecutive games – along with 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per night. —Kurt Helin
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
At 37 years old, Curry can still succeed: he’s averaging 27.6 points per game and shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range, while dishing out 4.9 assists per game. He remains one of the most popular players in the game, finishing third in the fan vote, which propelled him to the starting spot in what will be his 12th All-Star Game. —Kurt Helin
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama and the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards were tied for the final starting spot in the West, but the fan vote broke the tie and went to the San Antonio big man. It’s deserving. In his third season, Wembanyama took another big step forward and became one of the best players in the league on both ends of the court. He’s the face of an evolving league and making him a starter was something fans, players and media agreed on. Wembanyama is averaging 24.5 points while shooting 38.2 percent from 3-point range, grabbing 10.9 rebounds and blocking 2.8 shots per game. He also told NBC Sports that he’s excited about the USA vs. World All-Star format this season – he could be the player to inject the energy and passion needed into this matchup. —Kurt Helin
Note: Fans had Portland’s Deni Avdija starting ahead of Wembanyama. The players had Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant as starters in place of Luka Doncic (sixth in player votes) and Wembanyama. The media had Edwards starting instead of Curry. When the average was calculated, you got the starters above, but with Edwards and Wemby tied for the last starting spot, and the fan vote was decisive, by less than 5,000 votes (out of nearly 2 million votes cast).
Who chooses the reserves for the All-Star Game?
Now that the fans have had their say, it’s up to the league’s coaches.
NBA coaches will vote to choose the seven reserve (or bench) players from each conference, again regardless of position. The voting results and the names of the remaining NBA All-Stars will be announced February 1 on NBC.
These starters and reserves will then be divided into three teams as part of a new USA vs. USA format. World All-Star Game. Two international players, Luka Doncic in the West and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the East, were the most voted among fans.
All-Star Game Format
While the idea of an All-Star Game format between the United States and international players has been discussed for years, 2026 seemed like the right time.
That’s because the NBA All-Star Game is returning to NBC and debuting on Peacock in the middle of Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. It was a perfect setup for the first All-Star Game format of its kind.
The 24 All-Star players will be divided into three teams – two USA teams and one World team – which will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute matches. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the US or World teams are short of players, the league office will select one or more players to reach the required number).
At the end of the round robin, the top two teams will play a championship match (the fourth 12-minute match of the day) for the title.
All-Star Weekend kicks off on February 13 with the Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome at 6 p.m. PT, featuring the league’s best first- and second-year players. The 13th will also see the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, featuring media, sports and entertainment stars at the Kia Forum. The Forum also hosts the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic at 8 p.m. that evening.
On Saturday, February 14, All-Star Saturday Night – featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest – will take place at the Intuit Dome.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 15 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, earlier than in previous years, leading to greater media coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
How to watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will broadcast up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday features doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. Most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will air on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings weekly. Both games will be broadcast live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball on NBC and Peacock on February 1, 2026. For a complete NBA schedule on NBC and Peacock, Click here.
