The votes are in.
Fans from around the globe cast their ballots, picking who should start in the NBA All-Star Game next month in Los Angeles. Those fan votes (50% of the total) — combined with votes from NBA players (25%) and select media (25%) — have chosen the 10 All-Star Game starters, regardless of position. There are five starters from the Eastern Conference and five from the West (even though those players will later be divided into two USA and one World team for the new format, more on that below).
Those All-Star Game starters were unveiled Monday on NBC, read by the NBA Showtime crew live on set right before the tip-off of the Oklahoma City at Cleveland game, part of a quadruple header of Martin Luther King Day games on NBC and Peacock.
Here are the starters.
Eastern Conference
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Unsurprisingly, Antetokounmpo led all Eastern Conference vote-getters despite his team struggling for most of the first half of the season. He’s played 27 games this season, averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 29.0 minutes. Antetokounmpo’s name has been the focus of trade rumors, but injuries have been more impactful on his production than the scuttlebutt regarding where his NBA future may lie. —Raphielle Johnson
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
The reigning NBA Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson is having another outstanding season in the Big Apple. Having led the Knicks to the NBA Cup title, he’s averaging 28.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.0 three-pointers while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 85.2 percent from the foul line. —Raphielle Johnson
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Two seasons removed from a 28-game losing streak, the Pistons have been the class of the Eastern Conference thus far, and Cunningham is one reason why. Averaging career-highs in assists (9.6) and steals (1.5), the point guard is also contributing 25.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers per night. The lingering question: with Cunningham earning a starting nod for the midseason classic, how many of his teammates will be picked to join him in southern California next month? —Raphielle Johnson
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Due in part to Maxey’s mastery, the 76ers have been able to exercise some patience as Joel Embiid and Paul George worked their way back from offseason knee surgeries. Maxey is averaging career-highs in points (30.3), rebounds (4.4), assists (6.7), steals (1.9), blocks (1.0) and three-pointers (3.7) while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 87.8 percent from the foul line. Maxey’s second All-Star Game appearance is much-deserved. —Raphielle Johnson
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Due to departures in free agency and Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon, many believed that the Celtics would take a step back this season. That hasn’t been the case, and Brown’s play is a major reason why. Now a five-time All-Star, he’s averaging career-highs in points (29.7) and assists (4.8) while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 79.1 percent from the foul line. —Raphielle Johnson
Note: The fans, players and media all had the same five starters (although in slightly different orders). Donovan Mitchell was sixth on all three ballots as well.
Western Conference
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
The only question about whether the consensus “Best Player in the World” would be an All-Star Game starter was whether his recent knee injury would impact him in the voting. It didn’t, he was second in the fan voting. (Jokic is expected to return around the end of January, in plenty of time to play in the All-Star Game.) Jokic is once again putting up MVP numbers of 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists a game and has the Nuggets looking like a playoff threat to the Thunder. —Kurt Helin
Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
The leading vote-getter from the fans was an obvious call to make the team. Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring (33.3 points a game) plus is averaging 8.6 assists and 7.5 rebounds a night, he is a top-three MVP candidate at the midpoint of the season, and has been the driving force behind a top-10 Lakers offense and a top-six seed in the West for the team. Put simply, he is a top three player in the world right now and has to be a part of this team. —Kurt Helin
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably the best player in the NBA right now and is a no-brainer starter. He is the reigning MVP (and frontrunner to repeat), Finals MVP who leads the defending NBA champions, a team on pace for 67 wins this season (despite some recent stumbles). SGA is averaging 31.8 points a game — and he has scored 20+ points in 112 consecutive games — as well as 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds a night. —Kurt Helin
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
At age 37, Curry can still bring it — he is averaging 27.6 points a game and shooting 38.6% from 3-point range, while dishing out 4.9 assists a game. He remains one of the most popular players in the game, he finished third in the fan voting, which is what propelled him to being a starter in what will be his 12th All-Star Game. —Kurt Helin
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama and the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards were tied for the final starting spot in the West, but the fan vote breaks the tie and it goes to the big man in San Antonio. It is deserving. In his third season, Wembanyama has made another massive leap and become one of the top players in the league on both ends of the court — he is the face of a changing league and making him a starter was something the fans, players and media agreed upon. Wembanyama is averaging 24.5 points while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range, grabbing 10.9 rebounds, and blocking 2.8 shots per game. He also told NBC Sports he was excited about the USA vs. World All-Star format this season — he might be the player to inject needed energy and passion into this game. —Kurt Helin
Note: The fans had Portland’s Deni Avdija as a starter ahead of Wembanyama. The players had Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant as starters in place of Luka Doncic (sixth in player votes) and Wembanyama. The media had Edwards as a starter in place of Curry. Once it was all averaged out, you got the starters above, but with Edwards and Wemby tied for the final starting spot, and the fan vote was the tie breaker, by less than 5,000 votes (out of nearly 2 million cast).
Who picks All-Star Game reserves?
Now that the fans have had their say, it falls to the coaches around the league.
NBA coaches will vote to choose the seven reserve (or bench) players from each conference, again without regard to position. The results of the vote and the names of the remaining NBA All-Stars will be announcedon Feb. 1 NBC.
Those starters and reserves will then be divided up into three teams as part of a new USA vs. World All-Star Game format. Two international players, Luka Doncic in the West and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the East, were the top vote-getters among fans.
All-Star Game format
While the idea of a USA vs. international players All-Star Game format has been talked about for years, 2026 felt like the right time.
That’s because the NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game format.
The 24 All-Star players will be divided into three teams — two USA teams and one world team — that will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the USA or World teams are short on players, the league office will select one or more players to reach the required number).
At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title.
All-Star weekend tips off on Feb. 13 with the Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome at 6 p.m. PT, featuring the league’s top first- and second-year players. Also on the 13th is the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, featuring stars from media, sports and entertainment at the Kia Forum. The Forum also hosts the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic at 8 p.m. that night.
On Saturday, Feb. 14, All-Star Saturday night — featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest and the Dunk Contest — will take place at the Intuit Dome.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
