NBA All-Star Weekend, in recent years, has faced heavy criticism, even from the highest levels of NBA management.
“I thought it was a little better, but it was a dud” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in March 2025 from last year’s event. “We’re not here to create 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 heavily toward spectacle, creating a disjointed viewing experience. Last year marked the last time TNT aired the event, ending a streak of 23 consecutive seasons. To commemorate this, the NBA paused play in the middle of the All-Star Game for a series of sketches with comedian Kevin Hart and the “Inside the NBA” crew.
This year, the NBA is moving toward a “USA vs. World” format, but it’s a structure that four All-Stars say could be a case of too little, too late.
“The lackluster response to the news really showed me that, man, maybe All-Star really is dead,” Draymond Green said in a podcast episode released on November 17. “I think people have just given up on that idea.”
Fans’ patience may also be wearing thin, as the All-Star Game and its satellite events have lacked organic competitive spirit, at a time when clear attempts to tank spoil the regular season.
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Here’s a look at the three highlights of the 2026 NBA All-Star break, with a preview of what fans can expect.
Slam Dunk Contest
This is arguably the most high-pressure event, and that’s saying something.
Gone are the days when stars competed in the Slam Dunk Contest. The last player to participate in a Dunk Contest in the same year he was an All-Star was Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, in 2024. Brown is an exceptionally gifted player, even if he is not a high-flying dunker.
Before Brown, the last All-Star to participate in the Dunk Contest was Victor Oladipo in 2018.
Instead of stars, the NBA has deployed young, ultra-athletic players, often G Leaguers, who are not household names or rotation players. And even though it gave rise to flashes of genius, Mac McClung dazzled during his three-year period of dominance In the event that this happens, increased incentives to attract stars would go a long way.
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Of this year’s participants, two averaged less than 10 minutes per game and three of four played less than 13 minutes per game.
General apathy even reached the 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 competition and was one of the best dunkers of his generation.
Yet young Richardson’s highlights from this season show a player whose dunks lack the sizzle fans want to see.
In a social media post responding to Orlando’s congratulatory message that encouraged Richardson to “get it,” his response was unfortunately symbolic of the Dunk Contest situation.
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“i guess,” he wrotefollowed by an emoji of a face crying with laughter and another of a man shrugging his shoulders.
Predicted winner: Keshad Johnson, Miami Heat
3 point competition
Of the three events, the 3-point contest is the safest. On the one hand, the best shooters in the game tend to compete against each other. On the other hand, it’s a low-level lift for players – young stars and veterans alike – that encourages their full commitment.
This year should be no different, although the absence of Warriors icon Stephen Curry, widely considered the greatest shooter of all time, is a blow. However, the sector has numerous talents in all areas to make this event convincing.
The trickiest part of the future of the 3-point contest is what happens when the generation of shooters that dominated (think Curry, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson) retire.
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This year, the 3-Point Contest has juice with the return of Lillard, the double champion (2023, 2024) who participates despite his absence the entire regular season due to a torn Achilles tendon. If Lillard wins, he will tie the record for most titles of all time.
Predicted winner: Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
NBA All-Star Game
Perhaps we are looking to capitalize on the momentum generated by the NHL and professional hockey with its Face to face of the 4 Nationsthe NBA is moving towards a “United States vs. World” format. It will pit two teams of eight national players – one made up of young stars and the other of established veterans – against a third team of eight international players in a round-robin format.
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It’s an idea that’s promising, but only if players fully embrace it. Over the past decade, players have wandered into the game, treating defense as a suggestion and not a mandate. This must change.
“I want to push the great players in this sport to play as hard as I will,” Victor Wembanyama recently declared in French 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 that should lead to a slight increase in competitiveness, but it is not enough.
The NBA needs to incentivize participants more so they can organically escalate their levels of competition. And while league executives may find these optics unsavory, there is a very simple solution here: They can increase the winning team’s purse and further sweeten the kicker for the player who wins the MVP award.
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This would result in additional expenses for the NBA, but if the increased payments revitalize the event, it’s an investment that will pay off in the long run.
Last year, the payout structure for the All-Star Game stipulated that each player on the third- and fourth-place teams took home $25,000. Players on the finalist team won $50,000. For the winning players, it wasn’t much better as they pocketed $125,000.
If there is one thing that is incongruous with this highly commodified stage of capitalism we find ourselves in, one thing that crushes motivation, it is unpaid labor.
Being an All-Star is an honor, sure, but these players are giving their time to the event, and that may be the most valuable commodity of all.
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Predicted winner: Team World
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star Weekend predictions and outlook as questions mount
