NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Wednesday a new All-Star format that’s been floated since the disaster that was February’s All-Star tournament.
Next season’s game will feature a USA vs. the world format. Silver announced the decision while speaking on FS1’s “Breakfast Ball.”
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The format will debut on NBC in the first season of the network’s return to covering the NBA under the league’s new media rights deal. It will take place amid the Winter Olympics that will also air on NBC.
“What better time to feature some form of USA against the world?” Silver said.
Silver said that he’s “not exactly sure what the format will be yet.” He noted that he “paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did” during its All-Star break this season.
NHL’s success vs. the NBA’s All-Star tournament
The NHL scrapped its traditional All-Star format in February for an international tournament called the Four Nations Face-Off that was a big success among fans and players. It was held up in contrast to the debut of the NBA’s four-team mini-tournament that drew widespread scorn alongside the coverage of the event.
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The Four Nations Face-Off featured four teams of players representing their native countries USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden. The round-robin tournament was held across multiple days in multiple locations in the U.S. and Canada. Canada won via an overtime victory over USA in Boston that capped a tournament that was competitive and well-attended throughout.
Adam Silver, seen here at the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend, announced that a new format will debut at next season’s All-Star game. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Thearon W. Henderson via Getty Images)
In the midst of the Four Nations Face-Off, the NBA debuted a four-team mini-tournament featuring three teams off All-Stars drafted by TNT’s Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. The fourth team wasn’t even made up of All-Stars, but a roster of players that emerged from a separate Rising Stars tournament that featured first- and second-year non All-Stars and G League players.
The games and the final in particular were not competitive or compelling. The broadcast of the final that featured multiple extended breaks and a failed comedy routine by Kevin Hart was widely ridiculed. The failure of the event was held up in contrast to the success of the Four Nations Face-Off, which ultimately inspired the NBA to make yet another change to its All-Star format.
Can the NBA finally get the All-Star game right?
The NBA’s All-Star game has long struggled with a lack of defense and competition and producing a product worth watching. Players are generally not motivated to play. The hope with the new tournament is that players representing their countries will be inspired to play a competitive game.
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The make-up of the NBA’s player pool wouldn’t allow for a four-team tournament like the NHL’s. There aren’t enough All-Star caliber international players to make up three rosters representing three different international countries.
The format will more likely feature one team of U.S. All-Stars and one team of international All-Stars representing multiple nations. An international roster potentially featuring this year’s MVP finalists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside Luka Dončić would be formidable — but only if the NBA figures out the right formula to inspire a competitive game.
