By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After many experiments that backfired, the NBA decided to use the USA vs the World format in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, according to a report by Shams Charania.
For many years, the teams in local European All-Star Games, with few exceptions, consist of a team of local players and a team of “foreign” players, with the majority of them coming from the USA.
With the East vs. West formula in the NBA All-Star Game losing its appeal and the game ending up being not competitive at all, the US vs World format was constantly gaining ground, and the usual counterargument was that it would be unfair to have only 12 All-Stars coming from the US and 12 international All-Stars, opening the window to some less deserving players just because of their nationality.
This obstacle is finally out because, according to Charania, the new formula of the All-Star Game ” is likely to feature a round-robin tournament consisting of three eight-player squads of two USA teams and one World team”. The three teams will play in a round-robin format.
😅🇹🇷 Ergin Ataman believes that after tonight’s game Panathinaikos president, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, might have to reconsider if Jokic is still his favorite player in the world #Eurobasket pic.twitter.com/O7p1SWU5a5
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 3, 2025
Per the same report, the NBA and the NBPA presented the format to the Competition Committee and got a positive response.
The timing of the report is also great, coming just minutes after the end of the best game yet in the EuroBasket 2025, which featured Nikola Jokic’s Serbia against Alperen Sengun’s Turkey on a night to remember.