The NBA has officially turned the page, confirming the starting five for the Western Conference in the 2026 All-Star Game . The group is a mix of established superstars and a phenom officially arriving on the league’s grandest stage.
Leading the fan vote, Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers headlines the star-studded list . He’s joined by reigning MVP and champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Warriors’ timeless Stephen Curry, and the league’s best player, Denver’s Nikola Jokić .
The final spot, however, tells the most compelling story of the new NBA era. In the closest race, San Antonio Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama earned his first All-Star start, narrowly edging out Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards in a dramatic tiebreaker decided by fan votes .
The End of One Historic Streak
The most significant headline from the announcement is not who made it, but who did not. For the first time since 2005, LeBron James will not be an All-Star starter, ending a record 21-year streak .
James, now 41, missed the season’s first 14 games with a sciatica injury and has been on a managed minutes plan since returning . While he is still averaging 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.9 assists.
The league’s coaches will select the reserves on February 1, and there is a strong expectation James will be named to extend his overall All-Star appearances record to 22, especially with the game being played in Los Angeles .
A Razor-Thin Race and New Faces in the East
In the Western Conference, the battle for the final starting spot was incredibly tight. Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards finished with an identical weighted score of 5.75 in the voting formula . The tie was broken by the fan vote, where Wembanyama prevailed by a margin of just 4,505 votes out of nearly 2 million cast for the two players .
This has led many analysts to label Edwards, who is averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game, as the “biggest snub” of the starter selections, though he is all but guaranteed a reserve spot .
A Revolutionary New Format for the Game
The 2026 All-Star Game will debut a completely new “USA vs. World” format, making the traditional East-West starter labels somewhat ceremonial .
The 24 All-Stars will be divided into three teams for a round-robin tournament: two squads of eight American players and one team of eight international players . The teams will play a series of 12-minute games, with the top two records advancing to a championship final .
This format ensures a showcase for the league’s global talent. Based on the starters alone, the “World” team would feature a formidable core of Dončić (Slovenia), Antetokounmpo (Greece), Jokić (Serbia), Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), and Wembanyama (France) .
The Road to L.A. Continues
With the starters set, the basketball world now awaits the selection of the 14 reserves by the league’s head coaches on February 1 . Key names like Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, and Donovan Mitchell are expected to headline those lists, with the final fate of LeBron James’ historic streak soon to be decided .
The 75th NBA All Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 15, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, kicking off a weekend of events that promises to celebrate both the league’s legendary past and its dynamic future .