Cover A new era of physical possibility. Standing 2.24 meters (7'4"), France's Victor Wembanyama is the literal and metaphorical height of the NBA’s global evolution, redefining defensive geometry on the league’s flashiest stage(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
A new era of physical possibility. Standing 2.24 meters (7'4"), France's Victor Wembanyama is the literal and metaphorical height of the NBA’s global evolution, redefining defensive geometry on the league’s flashiest stage(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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For decades, the NBA All-Star Game was the ultimate American showcase—a weekend defined by Hollywood flash and homegrown stars. But in 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the league is finally embracing a 'USA vs. The World' format, confirming the game’s most followed stars are now a truly international elite
The expansion of a quintessentially American institution like the NBA was never a matter of chance; it has turned out to be a masterclass in cultural acceptance. In Asia, the league found an effortless foothold in the basketball-obsessed Philippines—a legacy of its history as a US territory. By the 1990s, Michael Jordan’s fame among Chinese youth rivalled that of even government leaders, and with the 2002 arrival of Yao Ming, the transition was complete.
The NBA had successfully transformed to an international sport, and a global constellation of stars whose influence, commercial power, and competitive stature extend far beyond US borders. In that context, the league’s yearly centrepiece All-Star Game, where the best players of the East battle against the best of the West teams, has begun to feel less like rivalry and more like ritual, with TV audiences hitting historic lows as fans tire of a low-stakes exhibition.
A league no longer defined by (one) geography
The league’s 2026 response signals something more consequential than experimenting with the format. By reorganising its showcase built around USA versus the World, the NBA All-Star Game is leaning into a truth the sport can no longer ignore: geography may organise teams, but identity drives intensity.
The argument for this new format is strengthened by a simple fact: the NBA’s centre of gravity has shifted.
The professional league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) debate over the past several seasons tells the story clearly. Increasingly, the award has gone not to American stars, but to international ones. The best player in the league is no longer assumed to be from the United States — and often is not.
Above The architects of the new establishment. Nikola Jokić (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) have rewritten the MVP race, proving that basketball’s centre of gravity has officially moved. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The architects of the new establishment. Nikola Jokić (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) have rewritten the MVP race, proving that basketball’s centre of gravity has officially moved. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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This is not a symbolic trend; it is structural. The global talent pipeline has matured into dominance. European systems, African academies, Canadian development programmes — they are no longer feeders to supplement once All-American rosters. They are equal contributors. In that context, “Team World” is not novelty. It is legitimacy.
Read more: Yes, they exist: meet the new era of Asian talent in the NBA
How All‑Star lost its shine
The 75th edition of the All-Star Game uses a three-team “US vs World” mini-tournament (two U.S. teams plus an international team), reframing competition away from conference alignment and toward national distinction.
The change is a direct response to years of credibility drift, most sharply illustrated by the 2024 edition that gave the audience a scoring-record exhibition (211–186), and to the widely panned 2025 experiment of having a bracket-style tournament that felt like a desperate gimmick.
The modern All-Star game problem is not that fans dislike spectacle; it is that spectacle without resistance reads as content, not sport. The 2024 edition became the symbol: minimal defence, record totals (397 combined points), and players themselves conceding that injury avoidance and “break” mentality sit at the heart of the effort gap.
In an ever-extending competitive season, it seems to be getting more and more out of reach to have the very best players in the East and the West go toe-to-toe, to settle what All-Star editions can rightfully answer.
The Olympic blueprint for intensity
Why would the US vs the World format work this time?
Recent Olympic basketball provided a ready proof-of-concept that stars will execute under the pressure of national (or quasi-national) representation. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, the men’s tournament repeatedly looked like NBA-level chess under global federation FIBA game constraints.
These games were framed not as exhibitions but as reputational tests, with something real on the line.
Sceptics will dismiss the shift as cosmetic — another tweak in a weekend increasingly driven by celebrity appearances, influencer courtside seats and viral moments.
Above The Olympic blueprint for intensity. This 2024 Paris team led by American superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry proved that national pride—rather than geography—is the only thing that can still trigger genuine competitive fire in the game’s elite. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Olympic blueprint for intensity. This 2024 Paris team led by American superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry proved that national pride—rather than geography—is the only thing that can still trigger genuine competitive fire in the game’s elite. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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But that celebrity element is precisely what makes this change intriguing. The NBA All-Star weekend has evolved into a cultural summit: musicians at halftime, actors courtside, global brands activating around every possession. It is basketball’s most glamorous stage — and at times, its most performative.
By drawing a line between USA and the World, the NBA introduces a layer of ego that even celebrity cannot dilute. Pride, especially among elite athletes, is combustible.
Above Poise from the north. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) represents the maturation of the global pipeline: he isn’t just a guest at the party; he is a contender for the throne. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Poise from the north. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) represents the maturation of the global pipeline: he isn’t just a guest at the party; he is a contender for the throne. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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If the format succeeds, it will not be because players are instructed to defend harder. It will be because, in that moment, something older resurfaces — the instinctive question of who is strongest.
The All-Star Game began as an answer to that question. Over time, it drifted toward entertainment. In 2026, the NBA is betting that identity can pull it back. Not by diminishing the spectacle — but by giving it a reason.
Team World – The International Elite
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
• Nikola Jokić (Serbia)
• Luka Dončić (Slovenia)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada)
• Victor Wembanyama (France)
• Pascal Siakam (Cameroon)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic)
• Jamal Murray (Canada)
• Deni Avdija (Israel)
Replacing Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander due to injury:
• Alperen Şengün (Turkey)
• Norman Powell (Jamaica)
Team USA Stripes – The Veterans
• LeBron James
• Stephen Curry
• Kevin Durant
• Kawhi Leonard
• Jaylen Brown
• Donovan Mitchell
• Jalen Brunson
• Brandon Ingram
Replacing Curry due to injury:
• De'Aaron Fox
Team USA Stars – The Rising Stars
• Anthony Edwards
• Devin Booker
• Tyrese Maxey
• Cade Cunningham
• Scottie Barnes
• Jalen Johnson
• Chet Holmgren
• Jalen Duren
Pete Laverick is a sports and lifestyle journalist for Tatler Hong Kong. A former professional rugby player, he brings an athlete’s perspective to his coverage of the city’s sports and fitness scene. A committed fitness enthusiast, Pete is always testing something new—from Hyrox to marathons and triathlons—writing with the first-hand insight of someone who has lived at the top level of sport. He also has a standing invitation from Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeannie Buss to watch the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena if he makes it to California.
