Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic headline the 2026 All-Star starters

ByNBAUSA



in 2026 NBA All-Star Game is right around the corner, and 10 starters from the Eastern and Western Conferences have been announced.

After conducting their conferences in fan voting over the past few weeksMilwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić are once again headlining this year’s All-Star festivities as rookies. Doncic finished with the most fan votes of any player in the league.

Unlike previous seasons, which featured three frontcourt players and two guards for each conference’s starters, this year’s draft pool was positionless. Again, the All-Star format will be played in a mini-tournament style, where the All-Stars pool is divided into two USA teams and one World team. The fourth team will consist of those who win the Castrol Rising Stars 2026.

U Western ConferenceDoncic was joined by the guard of the Golden State Warriors Stephen CurryOklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderSan Antonio Spurs big man Victor Vembanyamaand the Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

Antetokounmpo will be joined by Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Boston Celtics wing Jalen Brown as starters representing the Eastern Conference.

Notably missing from the All-Star starting list is LeBron James, who has been named an All-Star for 21 consecutive seasons. Will that historic streak end this year?

The only time the 41-year-old didn’t make the All-Star game was during the 2003-04 season, his rookie season in the NBA. It is likely that LeBron will either be an injury replacement or be selected as a special All-Star selection by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

While all 10 All-Star starters have participated in All-Star Weekend before, this is the first time Wembanyama, Maxey, Brown and Cunningham will be actual starters instead of coming off the bench for the NBA All-Star Game.

As for the veterans who are used to being in the spotlight on All-Star weekend, Curry leads the way in this year’s group of starters with his 12th All-Star selection and 11th start overall. He is now just one of 17 players in league history to make at least 12 All-Star appearances with one franchise.

Antetokounmpo and Jokic are also two All-Star veterans at this point in their careers, making their 10th and eighth All-Star appearances, respectively.

With the NBA adopting a Team USA vs. World Team format for the four-team mini-tournament at this year’s All-Star festivities, five of the eight spots on the World Team have already been filled by Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Vembanjama and Gilgeous-Alexander.

Only three other international players will join these starters as All-Star reserves for the World Team this year.

A total of 16 players will make up the two Team USA teams, leaving a total of 11 open spots for All-Star reserves in this category. Curry, Brunson, Cunningham, Brown and McKay will be prominent starters among these two USA teams.

NBA All-Star Game 2026 will take place at Los Angeles, hosted by the LA Clippers, on Feb. 15 on NBC.





2026-01-19 19:20:00

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