NBA All-Star Game starters 2026: Takeaways as starting lineups are announced

Jeremy Beren

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NBA All-Star Game starters 2026: Takeaways as starting lineups are announced image

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The NBA on Monday will confirm the 15 players who have been selected as starters for the 2026 All-Star Game, which will take place next month in Los Angeles.

The All-Star Game format this year will undergo a significant change. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has confirmed a first-ever "United States vs. The World" format.

Three teams of eight players each — two made of American NBA stars, the other made up of the league's international stars — will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games to determine the winner of the All-Star Game.

The top 10 vote-getters, regardless of position, will be named to the starting lineup for the Eastern and Western Conference teams.

MORE: Celtics' Jaylen Brown threatening to steal a major Jayson Tatum record this season

Eastern Conference All-Star starters

Jalen Brunson (Knicks)

Tyrese Maxey (76ers)

Cade Cunningham (Pistons)

Jaylen Brown (Celtics)

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

Western Conference All-Star starters

Luka Doncic (Lakers)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)

Stephen Curry (Warriors)

Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)

Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)

Doncic dominates the vote

Luka Doncic received more All-Star Game votes than any other player in either conference. The Lakers guard was richly rewarded for his stellar offensive season -- he's the NBA's leading scorer at 33.3 points per game -- with his sixth All-Star selection in only eight seasons.

LeBron's streak ends

For the first time in 21 years, LeBron James was not named an All-Star starter.

The Lakers superstar will have to wait for reserves to be announced before he finds out whether he will play in the 2026 All-Star Games.

It marks the first time since his rookie season of 2003-04 in which James, 41, was not voted in as a starter.

Brown, Cade, Wemby among first-time starters

Jaylen Brown has leveled up this season with Jayson Tatum out due to injury. As the Boston Celtics have surged to second place in the Eastern Conference, Brown has pieced together the best season of his 10-year career. The five-time All-Star is averaging 29.7 points per game and leads the league in field goals made per game (10.9).

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is making his second All-Star appearance and his first as a starter. Cunningham is a legitimate MVP candidate at the season's midway point; he is averaging 25.9 points, 9.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds for the East's top seed.

In the West, Victor Wembanyama has been voted a starter in his second All-Star selection. Despite having his minutes carefully managed in the wake of a calf injury he suffered early in the season, Wembanyama is at the forefront of a young core that has the San Antonio Spurs sitting second in their conference.

When is the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?

  • Date:  Sunday, Feb. 15
  • Time:  5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT
  • Location:  Intuit Dome, Inglewood, Calif.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

The game is scheduled to tip off around 5 p.m. ET, and it will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

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Contributing Writer