INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The biggest winners at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game was not Anthony Edwards or the young USA Stars team.
It was the fans.
For the first time in too long, we got a competitive All-Star Game with defense, real shot making and the kind of effort and energy everyone has been craving.
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Let’s hand out some grades from the All-Star Game and All-Star Weekend.
USA vs. World Format: A+
It’s this simple: It worked because the players bought in.
“I think it was definitely a step up in the competitive department compared to last season,” Kevin Durant said.
“I liked it,” Wembanyama said. “I wouldn’t be against this format in the future, and I wouldn’t be against the regular East versus West either.”
“I thought it was good, but I still think going back to East-West will be great,” Kawhi Leonard said. “I think guys will compete still.”
In the end, that is the key question going forward. Let’s be honest: Because the USA vs. World format worked this year doesn’t mean it will work in future years.
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“We wanted to play hard,” Tyrese Maxey said. “It doesn’t matter what the format was, I came in, I’m going to play some defense. I’ll score when I can, but I want to play hard, bring energy, get some steals, and have fun.”
The last time the NBA had a competitive All-Star Game was in 2020, the year they switched to the target score system for the fourth quarter, but when that format returned the next year it was a dud. The same thing could happen here with USA vs. the World. The league could tweak some things (10-minute games?), but there are no guarantees the players will continue to care and play with passion again.
This year, however, the new format passed with flying colors.
Championship Game: D
After three great games — the Edwards vs. Wembanyama duel that went to overtime in the first game; Edwards tying the game and then De’Aaron Fox winning it in the second; then Leonard going off for 31 in the third — the last game flopped.
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The veterans came out cold, the youngsters were hot and it was 12-1 in the blink of an eye. Soon, the bad defense and jacked-up 3-pointers returned, reminding us of the bad old days. It was just one blip in an otherwise entertaining night, but it sucks to have such a high of a night end on a flat note.
Kawhi Leonard: A
Kawhi Leonard was so good that he got MVP votes even though his team lost.
“It was great. Happy that Adam (Silver) let me in,” Leonard said of the All-Star experience in his home arena, where he was added after the initial vote. “That’s what the home crowd wanted to see. I’m glad I was able to do something in that game.”
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Leonard has played as anyone in the NBA since Dec. 1, and for the season is averaging 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, shooting 38.3% from 3-point range. He blew those numbers away in just 12 minutes in one game.
The die-hard Clippers fans on The Wall at Intuit loved it.
Anthony Edwards: A
On Saturday, when asked how competitive the All-Star Game would be, Edwards said, “It is what it is.”
On Sunday it was more than that, and Edwards credited Victor Wembanyama for changing the tone of the game.
“He set the tone, and it was definitely competitive with all three teams, I feel like,” Edwards said. “I feel like the old heads played hard, too. They were playing real good defense.”
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All of that brought out Edwards’ intensity, and he was the best player on the court in each of the three games he played — which is why he got to hoist the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Trophy.
You know you’re having a good night when 2 Chainz wants to hang with you postgame.
World Team: Incomplete
Victor Wembanyama was brilliant. Nikola Jokic was not. But the reality is, we did not see the lineups we all wanted because Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) were injured, and Luka Dončić played five minutes in the first game and none in the second (Jokic also sat out the second World game). If this format returns, hopefully we get a full world squad and we can see what that looks like.
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Damian Lillard: A
The highlight of All-Star Saturday night was Damian Lillard not just returning to the court — he’s been out all season recovering from a torn Achilles — but then winning the 3-Point Contest, which is always the highlight of All-Star Saturday night.
Lillard is one of the game’s biggest stars and one of its best people. Seeing him in the Portland uniform again and knocking down 3-pointers again just felt heartwarming
Dunk Contest: C-
There are people who will think this grade is too high. Maybe, I have always thought that the dunk contest plays better in person than on television. So maybe my bias shows through a little.
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I would describe the 2026 Dunk Contest as “meh.” Or, mid if you prefer.
And that is with all due respect to Keshad Johnson, who danced his way to the win and did his best to put some spark in the event.
John Tesh: A
I’ll be honest, when NBC announced that John Tesh was going to play “Roundball Rock” — the famed score he wrote as the intro to the NBA on NBC, a song linked to Michael Jordan and the NBA glory days of 30 years ago — I cringed a little. I didn’t think this would work.
I was wrong. John Tesh rocks.