The 2026 NBA All-Star Game initially dazzled audiences before taking an unexpected turn.
This year’s innovative format, pitting World against USA vs USA, delivered one of the most thrilling All-Star Games in recent memory. The excitement, however, fizzled as the undefeated yet veteran-laden USA Stripes team, featuring legends like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard, faltered in their third matchup of the evening. They succumbed to a fresher, more energetic American team, which ultimately clinched the title despite having lost earlier to the same Stripes team.
Was it confusing? Indeed. Entertaining? At moments.
Predictable? Without a doubt. The squad with seasoned stars initially shone, defeating both younger American talents and top international players, but eventually ran out of steam when the championship was at stake.
Nevertheless, this experiment shows promise. The league can tweak the World vs USA format to enhance the All-Star Weekend experience even further.
Conversely, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest seems to be losing its charm. Allowing players to perform lackluster warmup dunks during a prime event suggests it might be time to retire the contest. Replacing it with a competitive game of King of the Court could inject much-needed excitement.
No Knicks players reigned as king of the Intuit Dome’s All-Star basketball court on Sunday. Representing the Dominican Republic for Team World, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 10 early points in his first game of the night, a performance that ended with Towns choosing to help on Jalen Duren’s roll to the rim, leaving Scottie Barnes wide-open for a game-winning three even though a Duren layup would have left the World Team with a chance to win it at the buzzer.
And Jalen Brunson scored just five points in his two games played on Sunday, though the second game was over the second the USA Stars jumped out to a 12-1 lead.
At least the Knicks are leaving with some hardware, though it’s not the All-Star MVP trophy. That went to Anthony Edwards even though it should have gone to Kawhi Leonard, who single-handedly sent Victor Wembanyama and the World Team packing with 31 points on only two missed shots in the biggest game of the All-Star Round Robin event.
Brunson agreed with several All-Stars assessment of Wembanyama, whose individual drive seems to have lit a fire for his competition.
“I think Wemby is a leader, and the way he carries himself is fantastic for this game,” said Brunson. “And I think he’s going a great job, and you see what his impact is on and off the court around this game. He’s hurt doing what he does.”
Instead of an All-Star trophy, Brunson, Towns and Knicks OG Allan Houston won the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday, advancing through several rounds of shot-making from different parts of the floor.
Yet on one possession, Brunson held the ball in his hands while Towns stepped out to the three-point line to guard him, a series predictably ending with a series of crossover moves and an open lane to the rim for Brunson with Towns trailing behind with a smile on his face.
Asked about the possession after the game, Brunson laughed and said scoring on his co-star was “easy.”
The NBA no longer needs to overhaul its All-Star Game. The league has found the baseline for new iterations of its marquee event moving forward. It saved the All-Star Game. Now, it’s time to save the Dunk Contest — or scrap it altogether.
