Let's not beat around the bush. The NBA All-Star Game is a mess, and has been for a long time. We can argue over the reasons why, whether it's the players being too chummy with each other nowadays or the generational amount of wealth most of them have, but suffice it to say, nobody seems to care enough to put forth a real effort when the NBA's best players all get together each February.
Opinions on NBA commissioner Adam Silver vary. Some fans believe he's far too player-friendly compared to his predecessor David Stern, resulting in an "inmates running the asylum situation" whereby the league's top players wield far too much power. His supporters point to the way he's expanded the global reach of the game while adapting to the social media era as a reason his commissionership has been a success.
Whether you love or hate Adam Silver, you have to at least admit that he's not afraid to experiment with new ideas. This is not someone who rests on his laurels and hopes for the best, even if not all of his ideas are winners. For example, the NBA Cup has been a fun new event in the first half of the season, while the jury is still out on whether the play-in tournament is worthwhile or not.
Much of Silver's efforts to improve the game have centered on All-Star weekend, for good reason. This is the time when the absolute best players in the game convene, ostensibly to showcase what the NBA is all about. In recent years though, the weekend's events have landed with a thud among the viewing public, embarrassing the league at a time when it should be celebrated.
There's the Slam Dunk Contest, which has relied on rookies and G League players in recent years to carry the torch that was once lit by Dr. J, Michael Jordan and Vince Carter. The 3-Point Contest has had better luck in attracting some of the game's best outside marksmen, but still has a long way to go when it comes to consistent star power. The Skills Contest has the potential to be a fun event, but even that was marred this past year by Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul trying to angle-shoot their way to a cheap win.
Then there's the All-Star Game itself, which features less defense than your average 1st grade church league game. Players coast up and down the court, jacking up open shots and throwing down mostly lazy, always uncontested dunks as the NBA's public relations team feverishly tries to spin its way out of its latest annual ritual in humiliation.
The NBA's newest idea for the All-Star Game will have the same problems in a different package
Try as Silver might, he can't give the All-Star Game any juice. At this point, he really has tried almost everything. He's done the typical "East vs. West" format, with much less success than it had in previous decades. He's tried to invigorate the proceedings by letting captains choose their teams.
This past February, Silver had the Inside the NBA crew choose up sides for a four-team tournament. If more than one out of every 10 serious NBA fans can remember with confidence which team won, the next round of Shaq-A-Licious XL gummies are on me. Didn't think so.
This week, it was reported that the 2026 All-Star Game would again be undergoing drastic changes. Now it looks like we're getting a three-team round-robin format, with two American teams and one international squad. Is it going to work? Given the repeated failings we've seen in recent years, the odds are against it.
Silver is no doubt taking a cue from last summer's thrilling Olympics, which saw the United States win the gold after pulling off heart-stopping wins over Serbia and France. He also must have been inspired by the NHL, which for a rare moment this year completely took over the sports conversation as it held its 4 Nations Face-Off as its All-Star event.
Will national pride matter to the NBA's best when there's not a gold medal on the line? Fans have to hope that the international players lead the way on this one, because they've traditionally laid it all on the line whenever they've gotten the chance to take on the once-unbeatable USA. If Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the international crew come to play, the Americans will have the choice of either putting their best foot forward or getting embarrassed.
Though having the opportunity to beat the USA at its own game (but let's face it, most of the league's best players these days hail from overseas) will definitely be enticing to foreign players, playing on a melting pot of a world team won't hit the same as it would if Giannis was playing for Greece or Jokic was playing for Serbia. This format works in the Ryder Cup, where it's always Europe vs. the USA, but that event has been going on for nearly 100 years.
How can the NBA fix All-Star weekend for good?
If there's a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to NBA All-Star weekend, it's that hockey and baseball seem to have figured out their own respective All-Star Games. Football hasn't been as fortunate, as the Pro Bowl is essentially dead, but we've already mentioned how exciting the 4 Nations Face-Off was, and this summer's MLB All-Star Game was also a huge success that ended on the first ever home run swing-off. If baseball and hockey can figure it out, then surely the NBA can too.
The problem with the All-Star Game is that the entire weekend has lost its luster. Stars don't want to participate in the preliminary events, so by time the game itself rolls around, everyone is just ready to get the whole thing over with. The lesson? Sometimes a little foreplay can go a long way.
To fix the All-Star Game, the NBA first needs to fix what comes before it. Get the game's biggest stars to battle it out above the rim in the Slam Dunk Contest. Make first place $5 million. Let them perform onstage with Kendrick Lamar. Whatever it takes, do it. Imagine instead of watching Mac McClung beating up on some rookies before heading back to ball in the G League in anonymity, fans are treated instead to a battle royale between Ja Morant, Giannis, Anthony Edwards and Amen Thompson. That would blow the roof off.
One of the best All-Star ideas the NBA has had is to bring Sabrina Ionescu over from the WNBA to take on Steph Curry in a special 3-Point Contest. I know something similar involving Ionescu and Caitlin Clark was attempted last year but fell through, but given how popular the WNBA is now, the NBA is really missing out on a cross-promotional opportunity to not also feature some of the best women's players. Get Clark at all costs for that long-awaited matchup against a Steph Curry-Klay Thompson Splash Brothers reunion. Get Paige Bueckers if she says no. Actually, get Paige Bueckers if Clark says yes, too! Get Alyssa Thomas and Napheesa Collier in the Skills Contest.
There have also been rumors that the NBA wants to hold a 1-on-1 tournament on All-Star weekend. Dear basketball gods, please make that happen, but only if the best players in the game agree to play. Can you imagine Larry Bird, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant turning down the chance to do something like this back in the day? No way. The chance to be crowned the 1-on-1 champ would be as prestigious as winning MVP, and fans would love to see it.
If the NBA can get all these appetizers to a three-star Michelin level, then the main course will follow suit, whether it utilizes the new international format or not. Fix the other events, and you fix the All-Star Game.