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Report: NBA considering international competition for All-Star Game
After the success of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA is in serious talks to follow suit with similar alterations to its All-Star Game.
After the success of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA is in serious talks to follow suit with similar alterations to its All-Star Game.
According to The Athletic, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and president of league operations Byron Spruell held talks Monday with broadcaster NBC regarding an “international competition” format for next season’s All-Star Game.
The event is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2026, at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, in Inglewood, Calif. That puts it right in the middle of the Milan-Cortina Olympics, which will air on NBC.
Silver told The Athletic: “Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris, we’re discussing concepts with the players’ association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past.”
Silver and Spruell also spoke to the Associated Press Sports Editors earlier Monday and were asked about the topic. Silver noted that “it’s not lost on us” that Los Angeles will hold the 2028 Summer Olympics, with Intuit Dome hosting basketball competitions.
“I think all of those factors, when they come together, it presents an enormous opportunity for us to do something with an international competition instead of the traditional All-Star formats that we’ve used,” he said.
The NHL switched its All-Star Game this season to a nine-day, four-team tournament featuring players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. Canada defeated the U.S. 3-2 in overtime to win the event.
The NBA made changes to its All-Star Game format this season as well. Typically an East vs. West affair, this year featured a four-team mini-tournament composed of three all-star teams plus one rising stars squad.
The format received a mixed reaction from the players. Silver called it “a miss” and added: “We’re a bit back to the drawing board.”
