NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 schedule: Celebrity Game Friday, 3-Point Contest Saturday, and a new mini-tournament All-Star Game Sunday in Los Angeles

NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 is underway in Los Angeles, and the league is leaning hard into a tighter, TV-friendly format: one marquee building for most events, a stacked Saturday night anchored by the 3-Point Contest, and a revamped All-Star Game that plays more like a short, win-or-go-home showcase than a single 48-minute exhibition.

All times below are USA Eastern Time.

NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 schedule in Eastern Time

Friday, February 13, 2026

• All-Star Celebrity Game: 7:00 p.m. ET at Kia Forum

• Rising Stars Game 1: 9:00 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome

• Rising Stars Game 2: 9:55 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome

• Rising Stars Championship: 10:35 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome

• NBA HBCU Classic: 11:00 p.m. ET at Kia Forum

Saturday, February 14, 2026

• All-Star Saturday Night begins: 5:00 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome

  • 3-Point Contest: first event

  • Shooting Stars: second event

  • Slam Dunk Contest: third event

Sunday, February 15, 2026

• G League Next Up Game: 2:30 p.m. ET at the Los Angeles Convention Center

• NBA All-Star Game mini-tournament at Intuit Dome

  • Game 1, World vs Stars: 5:00 p.m. ET

  • Game 2, Game 1 winner vs Stripes: 5:55 p.m. ET

  • Game 3, Game 1 loser vs Stripes: 6:25 p.m. ET

  • Championship: 7:10 p.m. ET

What changed for the NBA All-Star Game in 2026

The headline shift is the format: instead of one All-Star Game, the league is staging a short mini-tournament with three teams and multiple tip times on Sunday night. The logic is simple: shorter bursts create urgency, and urgency is the one ingredient All-Star Games struggle to manufacture.

From a fan perspective, it also means the viewing experience is more like a prime-time event block than a single long game. If you tune in late, you can miss an entire matchup. If you tune in early, you get a clearer through-line to a final.

Behind the headline: why the league is pushing urgency over tradition

The NBA has two incentives that shape every All-Star tweak.

First, attention is fragile. Fans have more entertainment options than ever, and an exhibition with light defense is easy to skip. A tournament structure makes every possession feel a little more meaningful, even if nobody is risking injury to take a charge.

Second, stars are protecting their bodies. The modern season is a grind, and the league cannot realistically demand playoff-level intensity in mid-February. So the compromise is a format that encourages competitiveness without requiring a full, physical 48-minute game.

The stakeholders are not just players and coaches. Broadcasters want segments and spikes, sponsors want clean tentpoles, teams want their players healthy, and fans want moments that feel real rather than scripted. A multi-game Sunday is designed to satisfy all four.

The Saturday centerpiece: when is the 3-Point Contest in 2026?

The 3-Point Contest is scheduled as the first event of All-Star Saturday Night, which starts at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 14, 2026. That placement matters because the early slot typically draws the largest audience and sets the tone for the rest of the night.

Where to watch NBA All-Star Weekend, including the Celebrity Game and 3-Point Contest

All-Star Weekend is carried on national television and official streaming options, with different nights split across different rights holders. For the most accurate channel and streaming details in your area, use your local listings or the league’s official schedule hub inside its app, since coverage can vary by market and package.

What we still don’t know, even with the schedule set

• How hard players will go once the Sunday tournament begins, especially if a game tightens late

• Whether coaching strategies become more conservative in shorter games, prioritizing shot quality and matchups

• How quickly fans adapt to multiple Sunday tip times, and whether the flow feels smooth or choppy

What happens next: realistic scenarios and triggers

1. The tournament format sticks if the Sunday games stay competitive late. Trigger: close scores in the final two minutes.

2. The league tweaks Saturday timing if the 3-Point Contest outshines the dunk finale. Trigger: social and ratings momentum clustering around shooting.

3. More event consolidation at the main arena in future years. Trigger: smoother operations and stronger in-building atmosphere.

4. A return to a single All-Star Game if injuries or fatigue dominate the narrative. Trigger: multiple late withdrawals or minutes restrictions.

If you tell me your city and whether you want men’s events only or the full weekend slate, I can tailor the viewing plan to your time zone needs while keeping everything in Eastern Time for consistency.