NBA fans demanded a change for the All-Star Game, and the league followed through. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the 2026 All-Star Game will feature a Team USA versus Team World format. Fans are optimistic that the change will incentivize players to compete harder. Chris Paul suggests another change to guarantee player buy-in.
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Since the 2023 All-Star Game, the esteemed event has drastically deteriorated in value. Player effort has become almost nonexistent, and fans simply don’t enjoy it.
Silver has tried countless measures to reinvigorate the event. He scrapped the traditional East versus West model for a team captain draft format, which lasted from 2018 to 2023. When they reverted to East-West in 2024, it was a disaster, with the East totaling 211 points.
The 2025 All-Star Game featured a new mini-tournament format, including the winning team from the Rising Stars Challenge. Despite the innovation, it still missed the mark in engaging the players.
Silver’s latest format change has reignited conversations surrounding the event. Chris Paul joined The Pat McAfee Show to reveal a player’s perspective. He highlighted one area the NBA could utilize to spark interest among the All-Stars.
“You got to make sure that the guys really want to compete. You gotta have them play for something,” Paul said. “We took the money up to a certain number. So now the number might have to go up again.”
Although NBA players have the highest average salary of the four major sports leagues, Paul believes money may be the deciding factor. The NBA increased the monetary rewards only a season ago.
Last season’s financial breakdown included each member of the winning team receiving $125,000. The two runner-up teams who didn’t win their first game received $50,000 and $25,000, respectively.
It will be difficult to gauge a respectable number for multimillionaires. Regardless, the price to pay is small in comparison to the need for a competitive game.
The new format has all the makings to revive the All-Star Game from the ashes. Players will now have a sense of pride to represent their nation. The NHL witnessed a great success in their 2025 All-Star Game with the implementation of the 4 Nations Face-Off. The NBA hopes to have a similar experience.
