Going global: NBA closes in on new All-Star format

Imagine this lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, all on the floor at the same time as teammates.

MVPs. Scoring champions. NBA champions. Triple-double machines. Defensive wizards. International players, all together in one highly decorated, incredibly accomplished, flat-out-scary lineup, the likes of which probably has not been seen too many times in basketball history.

The NBA seems on the brink of making it possible.

Changes to the All-Star format are most certainly coming, once again, and the plan that the NBA has settled on is one that has players from the United States going up against players from the rest of the world in a tournament setting. Think Ryder Cup golf or 4 Nations Face-Off hockey, and it just so happens that this season's All-Star weekend at Inglewood, California, is smack in the middle of another national-pride sporting event — the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics.

"I talk to a lot of fans, and All-Star Games for whatever reason take on particular interest around basketball," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "I think we should be able to create something that's fun, exciting, engaging. Not expecting guys to play the way they would in the finals necessarily, or even in a playoff game, but yet to go out, play hard, put on a good show for the fans."

The plan, which isn't yet finalized, calls for a three-team tournament: two American teams and one international team, all with eight-man rosters. The reason: Roughly two-thirds of NBA players are from the US and one-third are not, which is why the NBA thinks it would be fair to give the US two-thirds of the roster spots.

"Hopefully, it's going to be better," said Jokic, the Denver star.

It has become almost an annual exercise for the NBA: fixing the All-Star Game. Silver and other league officials — and to be fair, some players as well — desperately want the product to be better and more competitive. They tried having captains like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Antetokounmpo pick the teams for a few years, and not much changed. They tried going back to the standard Eastern Conference vs Western Conference format, and it wasn't great either. Having a final score of 211-186 in Indianapolis in 2024 was the last straw in many respects, so the NBA last year tried a mini-tournament on for size, and few people cared for it.

Golden State's Stephen Curry was MVP of that All-Star event, a four-teams-of-eight competition that had a 41-25 final score in the title match-up and saw the final game stopped for about 20 minutes for a tribute to TNT and its run as a league broadcaster.

"I honestly thought last year went great until it dragged on for a long time," Curry said. "We all know that All-Star has changed over the years, but there has to be some type of solution for keeping the players fresh and loose, and keeping the action going. Last year it came to a screeching halt. But whatever the format is, I know we're going to keep taking swings at the plate to figure it out, and that's what the league is supposed to do."

International players have said they love the idea of a US vs The World concept. Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee star, has talked about it previously, and playfully said that the league should give him credit for the idea.

"The NBA's going to take all the credit. But I love it, man," Antetokounmpo said.

"I think it's going to be exciting for people to watch. I'm going to play hard. I've always been playing hard, but I think it's going to put a little bit more juice to the game. All players have ego. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. Guys will play harder because they don't want to become — I don't know how you say this — they don't want to become viral. I'm excited for this format."

The league has been working on the plan for a few months, and Silver has said he hopes that it can be formally announced by the start of the season, which begins Oct 21.

"The World vs US? We'll see how it goes. I think it's interesting," said Detroit's Cade Cunningham, who was a first-time All-Star last season. "Me, personally, I wanted to play in the East vs West game, but I think I will have my opportunity to do that one day. Playing for the US, I know we're going to be playing hard. I think it will be good."

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP and scoring champion at NBA title holder Oklahoma City Thunder, knows the league wants a more competitive All-Star event. He isn't sure if the format is a reason why someone would play hard or not.

Like everyone else, he's interested to see how it plays out.

"Guys that make it are grown men, and they're going to compete if they want to, or not compete if they don't want to. And I think that's what it's going to come down to," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "So, the change in the format, it's good, it's fun. It keeps the fans engaged. It could be interesting. It's what the league is supposed to do. They do a great job of that. But, I think it's just going to come down to if the players want to play or not."

Agencies Via Xinhua