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NBA Considering Additional Changes to 2026 All-Star Weekend
After a 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend that received plenty of mixed reviews, the league is evaluating additional tweaks to midseason event for the 2026 season.
According to a report from Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, the NBA is evaluating three changes to the 2026 event in an attempt to reinvigorate a once-great weekend for basketball.
Earlier Start for the All-Star Game
According to Glasspiegel's report, the NBA is in discussions with NBC, the league's new broadcast partner, to begin the game at 5 p.m. ET. The 2025 All-Star Game didn't begin until 8 p.m. ET on a Sunday night, and ended late on the East Coast. Of note, the 2026 All-Star Game is going to be broadcast at the same time that NBC is hosting the Winter Olympics in Milan. An earlier start shouldn't jeopardize any live programming as Milan is six hours ahead of the East Coast, and most events that day will have already concluded.
$1 Million One-on-One Tournament
The NBA is also entertaining the idea of holding a one-on-one tournament as part of All-Star weekend, with the winner of the event taking home a $1 million prize. The league wants to try to find a way to incentivize the NBA's best players for competing, and a reward for winning the tournament would certainly sweeten the pot.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden and Milwaukee Bucks wing Giannis Antetokounmpo all expressed interest in participating when asked about it in passing during 2025 All-Star Weekend.
NBA Stars Participating in the Dunk Contest
The NBA is also trying to find a way to get the league's biggest stars back into the Slam Dunk Contest. G League dunker Mac McClung won his third straight dunk contest and cemented himself as one of the best dunkers of all-time, but McClung has been unable to find consistent minutes on an NBA roster over the course of his career.
No offense meant to McClung, but the league would certainly like to have some of its best dunkers from its full-time NBA roster participating in the event to draw more eyeballs. It's unclear how the NBA will work to get stars back into the event, but it's sorely needed.
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Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.