NBA’s Adam Silver confirms Team USA vs. Team World All-Star Game format

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NBA’s Adam Silver confirms Team USA vs. Team World All-Star Game format

Brett Siegel · ClutchPoints

Wed, Jun 4, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The post NBA's Adam Silver confirms Team USA vs. Team World All-Star Game format appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The NBA has been experimenting with new ideas to enhance the All-Star Game experience for players and fans. After trying and brainstorming multiple formats, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Wednesday that the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be a new Team USA vs. Team World format.

Before the start of the 2025 NBA Finals in Oklahoma City, Silver appeared on Fox Sports' Breakfast Ball and confirmed the news that the league will be switching the All-Star Game format again.

"Next year, part of our new media deal, the All-Star Game will return to NBC," Silver stated. "And it so happens that next season will be smack in the middle of the Winter Olympics. The game will be on NBC, and the very day we are on, the lead-in will be Winter Olympic events, and coming out of the All-Star Game, which will now be in the afternoon instead of the evening, will be more Olympic events.

"What better time to feature some form of Team USA versus the world."

Although he did state that the league is still experimenting with the format and how exactly this will work, Silver mentioned that the NBA took notes from what worked with the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off , which replaced their traditional All-Star format.

That event featured players representing Team USA, Team Canada, Team Sweden, and Team Finland in a spectacle that captivated sports fans worldwide. The NBA is hoping for similar results with a new Team USA vs. Team World format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will see changes in terms of how it's broadcasted and viewed compared to recent years.

A new Team USA vs. Team World NBA All-Star Game format

The idea of replicating what transpired in the 2024 Olympics with USA Basketball against other, rising countries in the world is something that stood out to Silver during his trip to France. For years, he has been pushing the true narrative of the NBA being a global brand, which is why he believes now is the time to enhance this Team USA vs. Team World concept.

Silver first teased the idea of making the All-Star Game a concept centered around players representing their home countries in April.

"Given the strong interest we've seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer's Olympics in Paris, we're discussing concepts with the players' association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we've used in the past," Silver told Joe Vardon of The Athletic when questioned about changes that could be made to the All-Star Game.

This year, Silver and the NBA attempted to find common ground for All-Star changes with a new four-team mini-tournament format instead of the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference matchup many have been accustomed to previously. Ultimately, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game was not what the league had hoped for, as Silver admitted it was a failure .

"I thought we made an almost immeasurable amount of progress… sitting there I thought this was a little better but it was a miss," Silver said in March. "We're not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of and our players can be proud of."

The level of competition and intensity in the NBA All-Star Game has dropped significantly over the last decade, which is why Silver and the league have been attempting to find new ways to increase their competitiveness. Increased benefits, including prize money, and different formats have been part of this experiment to save the All-Star Game.

What this new international All-Star Game format will look like is unknown. However, given the demand for seeing USA Basketball led by LeBron James , Kevin Durant , and Stephen Curry in 2024, Silver is devoted to making this happen again.

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