Team USA vs Team World is set! Shaw confirmed that next season's All-Star new format will draw on NHL experience

On June 5, Beijing time, NBA commissioner Adam Shaw announced in an appearance on FS1's program that the 2026 All-Star Game will adopt the format of Team USA vs. Team World.

Back in April, Shaw revealed that the league would discuss the Team USA vs World Team All-Star format, and this time when asked if the previously discussed idea would come to fruition in 2026, Shaw replied: "Yes." Next year, as part of our new media deal, the All-Star Game will return to NBC, where it aired when we were younger. And as it happens, next season is during the Winter Olympics. ”

"The game will air on NBC, and on the day of our game, the opening will be the Winter Olympics event, and then after the All-Star Game — now the All-Star Game will be held in the afternoon instead of the evening — there will be more Olympic events. So what better time to host Team USA vs. Team World? ”

For the 2024-25 season, the NBA has introduced a new All-Star Game format, in which TNT analysts select All-Star players to form four teams for a mini-tournament. The format consists of two semi-finals, followed by a final between the winners of the two semi-finals.

This new format has not been well received by players and fans. In addition, the popularity of the NHL's (National Hockey League) four-nation tournament stole the NBA All-Star Game, an Olympic-style hockey tournament featuring top players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

It was from the success of the NHL's new All-Star Game that the NBA came up with the idea of a team USA vs. world team format. Top players such as Spurs star Wembanyama, Bucks star Antetokounmpo and others have endorsed the format. And Warriors forward Dream and others also admit that the All-Star Game sometimes needs a "makeover", and pointed out that the NHL's Four Nations Match is worth paying attention to.

Xiao Hua added: "I'm not sure what the specific format will be yet. I followed the NHL's approach closely, and they did it very successfully. ”

One of the potential drawbacks of this format is that about 70 percent of the players in the NBA are Americans, which makes the U.S. team much more selective and the world team much smaller.

"It's not that we can't find a solution, but if we want to have a fair All-Star selection process and pick half from 30 percent of players and the other half from 70 percent, it may not be fair to the players," Xiao said. So, that's one of the things we're looking at. ”

The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend will be held in Los Angeles from February 14 to 16.