For one glittering February weekend, the center of the basketball universe will shift to Los Angeles, where the NBA’s biggest names, brightest lights, and loudest crowds are preparing for the 2026 All-Star festivities. From celebrity games and slam dunks to a milestone All-Star showdown, the event promises to turn the city into a nonstop celebration of hoops, culture, and entertainment.
This year’s showcase carries extra significance. The 2026 edition marks the 75th NBA All-Star Game and returns the league’s midseason spectacle to the Los Angeles area for a record-setting seventh time. The main events will unfold at the brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the futuristic home of the Los Angeles Clippers, placing the spotlight on one of the league’s most technologically advanced arenas.
All-Star Weekend runs from February 13 through February 15, with events spread across Inglewood and downtown Los Angeles.
The schedule follows the familiar rhythm that fans have come to expect, but with fresh twists designed to keep the showcase competitive and entertaining.
Friday night opens with the always-popular Celebrity Game at the Kia Forum, where actors, musicians, athletes, and influencers trade their day jobs for sneakers and hardwood. Later that evening, the Rising Stars event takes center stage at the Intuit Dome, giving first- and second-year NBA players a chance to introduce themselves to a global audience.
Saturday belongs to the fans’ favorite spectacle: All-Star Saturday Night. The evening packs three headline competitions into one high-energy showcase—the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest, and the Slam Dunk Contest—events that have produced some of the most unforgettable moments in NBA history.
Then comes Sunday, when the stars finally share the same court. This year’s All-Star Game introduces a new U.S.-vs.-World format, featuring two American teams and one international squad in a round-robin tournament before a championship matchup. The format is designed to inject more intensity and pride into a game that has often leaned more toward entertainment than competition.
Few cities are better suited for the All-Star spotlight than Los Angeles. With its mix of entertainment, fashion, and sports culture, the city has long been one of the NBA’s favorite stages.
This year’s event is expected to draw more than 200 digital creators and influencers to produce content and bring the weekend’s highlights to millions of fans worldwide, reflecting how the league’s reach has expanded far beyond the arena.
The weekend also stretches beyond the court. The NBA Crossover fan experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center will feature interactive exhibits, concerts, and meet-and-greets, while concerts and cultural events are scheduled throughout the city.
Behind the scenes, the NBA is using the weekend as a platform for community impact. The league and its partners are organizing five days of social-impact programs, including youth clinics, coaching sessions, and volunteer initiatives across the Los Angeles area.
Programs will focus on education, economic opportunity, and health, while special events like the HBCU Classic and local entrepreneurship competitions aim to highlight community voices alongside the league’s biggest stars.
As always, the All-Star Game will feature many of the league’s brightest talents, including top American and international players. But the roster isn’t without changes. Golden State superstar Stephen Curry, for example, has already been ruled out due to a knee injury, forcing the league to look for a replacement.
Even with a few absences, the weekend is expected to be packed with star power, viral moments, and the kind of highlight plays that dominate social media for days.
For Los Angeles, hosting All-Star Weekend is nothing new. The city has staged the event multiple times over the decades, but the 2026 edition carries a different energy. The debut of the Intuit Dome, the experimental international format, and the league’s growing global reach all combine to make this year’s celebration feel like the start of a new era.
For three days, the usual rhythms of the NBA season will pause. In their place will come celebrity cameos, thunderous dunks, half-court shots, and a sea of jerseys from every corner of the basketball world.
And in a city built on spectacle, the NBA’s brightest stars are ready to deliver one more show.
Bella Richardson is a dedicated journalist and news analyst known for her clear, thoughtful reporting and her ability to make complex stories accessible to a broad audience. With a Master of Science in Mass Communication, she brings both academic insight and real-world experience to her coverage of breaking news and trending topics throughout the United States.
