Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green expressed concerns about the NBA’s upcoming USA vs. World All-Star format during his podcast, The Draymond Green Show. Green described the public’s muted reaction as “alarming,” highlighting his doubts over the event’s relevance.
“I must say it was a little underwhelming, the support or the attention that this drew,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Like this was announced and nobody cared.” He added that All-Star Weekend used to be “so fun to watch” and questioned whether the league could restore the excitement it once had.
Green continued, “When I saw the lackluster response to this news, it was very clear to me that… I just don’t know that it’s ever going to matter again.” He emphasized that repeated changes to the format may not recapture the enthusiasm fans once showed.
“It made it very evident to me that there may not be any coming back for All-Star Weekend,” Green concluded. “It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I think it’s one you have to take a deep look at.”
The NBA confirmed that the 2026 All-Star Game, scheduled for February 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, will feature a U.S. vs. World format in a round-robin competition. The 24 All-Stars will be split into three teams: two consisting of U.S. players and one representing the rest of the world, with each team having at least eight players.
The competition will include four 12-minute games in a round-robin structure. The winner of the first matchup will face Team C, while the loser also plays Team C, with the top two teams by record advancing to a championship game. Point differential will serve as a tiebreaker if all three teams finish 1-1.
All-Star selections will continue to be based on fan, player, and media voting, with fans accounting for 50 percent. Positional designations have been removed to allow selection of the 24 best-performing players, and head coaches will choose seven reserves per conference. Commissioner Adam Silver may add players to ensure proper balance between U.S. and international squads.
