The NBA just changed the game, literally. They have officially torn up the old All-Star game blueprint. On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, the league unveiled a bold new makeover for its midseason classic. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will feature a first-ever three-team format. In an interesting twist to celebrate the event’s 75th edition, it will bring together two U.S. teams and one World team.

For decades now, fans have seen stars face off in formats like East vs. West, but 2026 will be different. Picture it: Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all in the same jersey under the World banner. Now that vision is official, and it’s already being hailed as the NBA’s most daring All-Star evolution yet.

What is the NBA All-Star Game, and how are players selected for the Game?

Well, the NBA All-Star Game is the centerpiece of the league’s annual ‘All-Star Weekend’, which is the midseason celebration of the game featuring the best talent from all across the league smiliar to the ‘Pro Bowl’ if you’re a football fan. While the format will see a major revamp this season, the selection process for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game remains almost the same.

24 players have been chosen. 12 of them from each conference. The starters of 5 players will be decided by a mix of fan votes (50%), current players (25%), and a media panel (25%).

Additionally, NBA head coaches have selected the seven reserves from each conference. The major change in the way is how the players are picked, regardless of their position, which allows the 24 best players to earn All-Star honors.

The method for dividing the American players is quite interesting, as it divides players into two teams based on experience and age. The first team, the USA Stripes, will feature the veterans.

Meanwhile, the USA Stars team will feature the young guns such as Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker. These two US teams will take on the World Team featuring international stars. Now with that out of the way, let’s understand how the game will work.

What scoring system is used in the NBA All-Star Game, and how does the Elam ending work?

Well, before 2020, the NBA All-Star Game was just like any other regular-season or playoff game, which featured four quarters and the higher-scoring team taking home the dub.

However, to notch up the competitiveness in the game, during the All-Star Game in 2020, the Elam Ending was introduced to not only increase the excitement in the final moments but also to eliminate intentional fouling and clock management.

But how does the Elam Ending work? Well, it’s simple. Rather than having a full 48-minute game, the first team to reach the desired target score takes home the win. Let’s say the target score is 40.

So, the first team to reach that score, regardless of the time, wins the game. You can’t just run the clock to win; you must make a basket to end it. However, what if the game goes to overtime?

What happens if the All-Star Game goes to overtime?

Well, traditional overtime rules do not apply to the All-Star Game, especially with the Elam Ending in place. Although historically, the overtime rules for the All-Star Game have been the same, featuring the standard five-minute periods similar to any regular-season or playoff game. But that doesn’t have to be the case anymore. 

That’s because with the Elam Ending, it’s impossible to tie a game; there’ll always be a clear winner. This is another huge pro of this rule, which was introduced during the 2020 All-Star game and was interestingly suggested to Adam Silver by soon-to-be Hall of Famer Chris Paul, who had seen its success in The Basketball Tournament. 

How does the All-Star Game differ from regular-season games?

By now, you must’ve clocked in a few glaring differences between a regular-season game and the All-Star matchup. Of course, there’s the newly introduced format, then the Elam Ending, and lastly the player selection process. However, that’s not all. Let’s not forget that the All-Star Game is an exhibition event and doesn’t impact the NBA regular season. 

That said, because of this, players tend to hold back on the defensive intensity. In fact, not just that. The overall physicality and foul frequency of an All-Star Game are dramatically lower than a regular-season game between any two NBA teams. Nonetheless, the NBA has been trying to change that and establish at least some level of competitiveness in this event. 

How has the NBA All-Star Game format changed over the years, and why?

The last major All-Star Game format change came in 2024. Back then, the NBA had reverted to the traditional East vs. West setup after experimenting with captain-led drafts from 2018 to 2023. Now, just two years later, the league has made its boldest change yet. It is a clear indication that the NBA is unafraid to keep evolving.

For the first time, the league is introducing a three-team round-robin format, as per the NBA. That will feature two teams with U.S players and one World team, with all the international talent under one roof. The competition will consist of four 12-minute games, with each team having at least eight players.

This means instead of just one long exhibition matchup between the East and the West, fans will see multiple matchups. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will introduce several important rule changes. In addition to featuring three teams and a reduced game duration of 12 minutes, there is another significant update.

All-Star players will now be selected without regard to their positions, meaning that guards and forwards will no longer be categorized separately. Only the 24 best players will be chosen to participate. While it’s great to see the league trying to refresh the All-Star Weekend’s festivities, everyone is intrigued to know their rationale behind this. 

The excitement had faded – if the NBA had to pick one simple reason, then this is it. In recent years, both fans and analysts criticized the midseason showcase. According to them, it lacked effort and genuine competition. In June of 2025, Commissioner Adam Silver openly admitted that the NBA All-Star game of 2025 fell short.

He was looking for a concept that would truly capture the spirit of basketball and make the game matter again. While appearing on The Craig Carton Show, Silver said, “What better time to feature some form of USA against the World? I’m not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was a huge success.”

Well, now, we have not just the format, but the venue and timing, all finalized. So, let’s hope that these changes restore the glory of the All-Star Game, as we eagerly await the All-Star Weekend set to take place in Los Angeles.