Another year, another NBA All-Star reformatting. For the 75th edition, the game goes global. It’s U.S. versus the rest of the world on Sunday evening. This is an intriguing development, given that the last seven MVP awards have gone to international talents.
Sunday’s exhibition pairs longtime NBA superstars with bubbling next-generation phenoms. Together, they represent the vastness of today’s hoop dream. Here’s what to know and when to tune in.
All times listed are Eastern.
How to watch the 75th NBA All-Star Game
- Venue: Intuit Dome — Inglewood, Calif.
- Time: 5 p.m. ET, Sunday
- TV: NBC, Telemundo
- Streaming: Peacock
- Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
NBC is free over the air.
The new All-Star Game format
For most of its existence, the NBA All-Star Game was a standard conference clash between the East and West. The format was switched up in 2018, when the top vote-getters became captains for a blacktop-style team draft. LeBron James and Stephen Curry were the inaugural captains.
And thus, a dynasty was born — “Team LeBron” won the first five versions of this All-Star Game, before “Team Giannis” beat James’ crew in 2023.
A new wrinkle was introduced in 2020 with the “Elam Ending,” which replaced the fourth-quarter clock with a target final score. That was used through the 2023 All-Star Game.
The league returned to East versus West in 2024, then tried a four-team, three-game tournament last year. All-Star starters were still chosen by fan, media and NBA player votes. But teams were divvied up by the four “Inside the NBA” personalities, and the rookies and sophomores from “Rising Stars” got a team of their own. Results were mixed; changes were made.
This year keeps the mini-game layout, but there’s no obligatory rookie-sophomore squad. The theme is global competition, with two U.S. groups and an international one. In general, the “Stars” roster has younger American players like Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Chet Holmgren. The “Stripes” counterpart is more seasoned — James plus Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and so on.
A round-robin tourney gives us four 12-minute games in total. If all three sides are 1-1, the championship tiebreaker will be point differential. The mini-game schedule is outlined below:
- All-Star Game 1: USA Stars vs. World, 5 p.m.
- All-Star Game 2: USA Stripes vs. Game 1 winner, 5:55 p.m.
- All-Star Game 3: USA Stripes vs. Game 1 loser, 6:25 p.m.
- All-Star Game 4: Championship, 7:10 p.m.
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson lead the U.S. sidelines. Serbian Darko Rajaković, the Toronto Raptors’ head coach, guides the international outfit.
The three All-Star lineups
After injury replacements, here are the updated rosters:
Team USA Stars
Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors)
Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
Coach: J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons)
Team USA Stripes
Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets)
De’Aaron Fox (San Antonio Spurs, injury replacement)
Brandon Ingram (Toronto Raptors, injury replacement)
LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
* Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, injured)
Coach: Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs)
Team World
Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers)
Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers)
Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets)
Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
Norman Powell (Miami Heat)
Alperen Şengün (Houston Rockets, injury replacement)
Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers)
Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks)
Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
* Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder, injured)
* Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks, injured)
Coach: Darko Rajaković (Toronto Raptors)
The NBC broadcast
The All-Star Game gets started at an earlier-than-usual time: 5 p.m. That’s because of NBC’s ongoing coverage of the Winter Olympics from Milan Cortina. It’s been a busy month for the network, which also aired Super Bowl LX.
Next up, NBC marks its return to pro basketball by snagging the exclusive All-Star Weekend telecast. Noah Eagle is our play-by-play narrator. At 29 years old, he becomes the youngest commentator in All-Star Game history. The analysts are Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and enduring sixth man Jamal Crawford. Zora Stephenson and Ashley ShahAhmadi team up for courtside reporting.
NBC’s studio team combines for a sizable 25 All-Star nods — Carmelo Anthony with 10, Vince Carter with eight and Tracy McGrady with seven.
The Spanish-language option on Telemundo includes Álvaro Martín on play-by-play and former NBA guard Greivis Vásquez on color commentary.
We open on a special live version of “Roundball Rock,” the nostalgic NBC theme written by John Tesh. Brandy, who famously went to prom with Kobe Bryant, is on tap for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Sarah McLachlan, vindicated Raptors fan, sings “O Canada.”
The network used to host the All-Star Game regularly, with an uninterrupted stretch between 1990 and 2002. Magic Johnson was the MVP in 1990, while Bryant won the award in 2002. Let’s see who joins the club come Sunday.
We don’t know how this telecast will play out, but we do know what the jerseys look like:
The All-Star record book
Most All-Star bids: LeBron James with 22 as of Sunday. His made his All-Star Game introduction in 2005, when Wemby was just 1 year old.
Most points in a single All-Star Game: Jayson Tatum with 55 in 2023. He shot 22-for-31 and made 10 3s in Salt Lake City.
Most made 3s in a single All-Star Game: Steph Curry with 16. His 2022 performance was one long, outrageous heater, and he finished 16-for-27 beyond the arc.
Most career All-Star shots without a miss: Shareef Abdur-Rahim with four. He was a perfect 4-for-4 in 2002.
Updated odds
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