The NBA is exploring the possibility of transforming its 2026 All-Star Game into an international competition format. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and President of League Operations Byron Spruell acknowledged discussions with new broadcast partner NBC about implementing a nation-based tournament similar to the NHL's highly successful 4 Nations Face-Off. The 2026 All-Star Game is scheduled for February 15 at the LA Clippers' Intuit Dome.
The potential format change comes after the NBA's recent four-team tournament experiment at the 2025 All-Star weekend drew poor ratings and widespread criticism, which Silver previously characterized as a "miss." The games had multiple interruptions that compromised the flow of play. The NHL's international format, by contrast, produced record viewership, with the championship game between the U.S. and Canada attracting 9.3 million viewers on ESPN and 7.3 million on Sportsnet in Canada.
Spruell indicated the league is considering various international concepts, including a "U.S. versus rest of the world" format or a multi-nation tournament. Approximately 25 percent of current NBA players were born outside the United States, including many of the league's top stars.
The timing and location carry particular significance as Silver noted, with the 2026 All-Star Game being held at the same venue that will host basketball competition during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This connection provides what Silver called "an enormous opportunity" to showcase international talent.
This potential shift comes during an era of international dominance in the NBA, with the last seven MVP awards going to non-American players. Recent drafts have consistently featured at least 10 international players selected annually since 2010, with two consecutive French players going first overall.
"NBC is very much leaning into it, given their role — we are as well," Spruell said. "Looking to do something new and different yet again, but excited about the possibility."
"It's not lost on us… we'll be in L.A., the home of the '28 Summer Olympics, and we'll be competing in the arena at Intuit, where the basketball competition will take place in the 2028 Olympics," Silver added. "So I think all of those factors when they come together, it presents an enormous opportunity for us to do something with an international competition instead of the traditional All-Star formats that we've used."