The NBA announced the 10 starters for the 2026 All-Star Game on January 20 during its MLK Day broadcast. Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers) topped fan voting with 3.4 million votes for his sixth start, while Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) led the East. Starters include Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama in the West, and Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, and Tyrese Maxey in the East. Notably, LeBron James will miss starting for the first time in 22 years.
Starters were selected via weighted voting—fans (50%), players (25%), media (25%)—without positional restrictions. Dončić led fans with 3,402,967 votes, followed by Antetokounmpo (3.2 million), Jokić (2.99 million), Maxey (2.94 million), Brunson (2.85 million), and Curry (2.81 million). Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs, second selection) won a fan vote tiebreaker over Anthony Edwards for the West's final spot. Players ranked Cunningham highest (159 votes), then Antetokounmpo (147), Brown (138), Brunson (137), and Jokić (135). Media favored Gilgeous-Alexander (99 votes), Brown (98), Cunningham (97), and Dončić/Jokić (95 each).
Appearances: Antetokounmpo (10th), Curry (12th), Dončić (6th), Gilgeous-Alexander (4th, leads top team OKC Thunder), Jokić (8th), Brown (5th), Brunson (3rd), Cunningham/Maxey/Wembanyama (2nd each). Eastern: Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Brown (Celtics), Brunson (Knicks), Cunningham (Pistons), Maxey (76ers). Western: Curry (Warriors), Dončić (Lakers), Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jokić (Nuggets), Wembanyama (Spurs).
The February 15 event at Intuit Dome (Inglewood, CA; 5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) debuts a U.S. vs. World format: three teams of eight (two USA, one international) in a round-robin of four 12-minute games, top two to championship; tiebreakers by point differential. Coaches select reserves February 1 for full 24-player rosters (minimum eight per team), with Commissioner Adam Silver filling injuries. James remains reserve-eligible after 21 prior starts.
Gilgeous-Alexander on the format: "Should be very fun. The world side has some pretty impressive talents... I think it's cool to see the game evolve globally." He added earlier: “It’s still as special as the first one was... To be able to play in them will always have that same feeling." All-Star Weekend events, including contests, air on NBC.
