NBA All-Star 2026: All-Star Saturday Ignites Intuit Dome Ahead of New U.S. vs. World Format
All-Star Saturday arrives at the Intuit Dome with a stacked slate of spectacle. The night begins at 5 ET and delivers the State Farm 3-Point Contest, Kia Shooting Stars and the AT& T Slam Dunk, while the Castrol Rising Stars and the celebrity game have already produced buzz ahead of Sunday’s headline event at 5 ET: the league’s 75th All-Star Game, now staged under a U. S. vs. World three-team format.
Saturday’s showcase: contests, creativity and high-flying history
Fans can expect a fast-paced evening that blends competition with theater. The State Farm 3-Point Contest returns with eight sharpshooters chasing the crown and a money ball run that often shifts momentum in a single round. The Kia Shooting Stars event leans on connection—teams of teammates, former classmates and family members—where chemistry and timing are as important as pure shooting touch.
The AT& T Slam Dunk remains the marquee spectacle. Four young dunkers are set to chase a first-time title on an event that has produced some of the sport’s most indelible moments. This year’s field includes competitors who grew up watching iconic dunks and now stand in the spotlight themselves, creating a throughline from past legends to the league’s newest aerial artists. Expect a mix of power, creativity and theatrical staging—elements that have kept the contest a must-see for decades.
Earlier festivities have already shaped the weekend narrative. The Castrol Rising Stars contest crowned Edgecombe MVP after a standout night that included two winners and a takeover sequence, while the Ruffles Celebrity Game offered light-hearted highlights and surprising on-court moments.
Sunday’s format and key storylines
The All-Star Game proper will cap the weekend with a new competitive twist: a three-team round-robin that splits talent into two U. S. teams and one international team. Games will be short and intense—twelve-minute sessions that reward fast starts and strategic substitutions. Coaches have been tapped to lead each squad, and the format aims to spotlight a deeper cast of stars across multiple short contests before a culminating final.
Beyond the structural changes, several storylines will dominate conversation. The event doubles as a celebration of careers and milestones—most notably the retirement of a 12-time All-Star who stepped away after 21 seasons and left an indelible mark on the game with elite playmaking and defensive craft. The weekend also honors All-Star traditions while testing a new competitive blueprint intended to keep the showcase fresh and unpredictable.
What to watch and why it matters
All-Star Weekend now operates as both entertainment and experimentation. The dunk contest will be judged on flair and execution; the three-point contest is as much about consistency under pressure as it is about pure range; and the tournament-style All-Star Game will reward coaches who can quickly establish rhythm. Young players have a platform to stake claims, veterans can cement legacies, and the international contingent stands ready to challenge the U. S. -based stars.
By design, the weekend blends nostalgia with novelty. The slam dunk contest recalls iconic moments from past champs while showcasing a new generation eager to make their own statements. The revised All-Star format tests how bite-sized, high-intensity matchups can sustain engagement across multiple short games rather than a single exhibition. For fans, the result is a compressed festival of basketball: instant highlights, quick-turn rivalries and a fresh playoff-style finish to crown a champion among three elite teams.
All times in this coverage are Eastern Time. The marquee events close out Sunday at 5 ET with the 75th All-Star Game, concluding a weekend designed to celebrate history while pushing the showcase forward.
