nba all star 2026: All-Star Saturday Lights Up Intuit Dome, Rising Stars, 3-Point and Dunk Contests Take Center Stage
Los Angeles is set for a full slate of spectacle as All-Star Saturday arrives at the Intuit Dome, sending the 75th NBA All-Star Weekend into high gear. From youth showcase theatrics to the night’s capstone dunk showdown, fans can expect a stacked program beginning late Saturday afternoon and running into the evening ahead of Sunday’s U. S. vs. World championship format.
Schedule and big moments to watch Saturday, Feb. 14
The day’s on-court action begins in earnest at 5 p. m. ET with a block of marquee events that have become staples of All-Star Weekend. The order of play opens with the 3-Point Contest and a multi-team Shooting Stars competition that mixes teammates and close-knit groups before the night’s highest-flying act: the Slam Dunk Contest.
Earlier in the day, All-Star Media Day kicks off at 2 p. m. ET, providing fans and photographers their first extended look at the weekend’s participants and personalities. The league’s commissioner will address the media at a 4 p. m. ET news conference, offering final updates and narrative shaping ahead of the competition. Those sessions often set the tone for roster storylines, in-arena activations and the social-media moments that follow.
Expect the Slam Dunk Contest to inject energy and unpredictability into the evening. This year’s field features four emerging aerialists, each seeking a first-time title and the kind of highlight-reel plays that resonate long after the buzzer. Veteran legacies will be referenced in attempts and storytelling: lineage, tribute attempts and creative production elements will all be part of the judging calculus.
Rising Stars, retirements and the weekend narrative
Friday’s Rising Stars showcase set an early tone for the weekend. Edgecombe earned MVP honors after delivering two winning performances and a takeover, helping Team Vince capture the Rising Stars crown. That young-player platform often foreshadows breakout performances later in the season and supplies highlight reels that feed Saturday night’s momentum.
Off the court, a major note of transition reverberated through the basketball world: Chris Paul announced his retirement following a 21-season career capped by 12 All-Star nods. He finishes among the game’s all-time leaders in both assists and steals, leaving a sizable legacy that will figure into many All-Star conversations across the weekend.
All of these threads feed into Sunday’s revamped All-Star Game, a round-robin-style U. S. vs. World setup featuring three teams and a compact tournament that concludes with a championship game. The format change has injected a competitive angle to the weekend while preserving the celebratory atmosphere that defines All-Star festivities.
What the rest of the weekend brings
Saturday’s competitions are both self-contained spectacles and previews of what’s to come on Sunday. The 3-Point Contest will spotlight long-range specialists with trophies and bragging rights at stake, while the team-based Shooting Stars event emphasizes chemistry and fun. The Slam Dunk Contest provides the evening’s final, can’t-miss crescendo, where creativity, risk and athleticism collide under the bright arena lights.
With a full slate of media events earlier in the day and the game slate resuming Sunday at 5 p. m. ET, All-Star Weekend blends on-court competition with off-court programming and entertainment. For fans in the building and viewers nationwide, the Intuit Dome weekend promises a concentrated, packed celebration of the sport’s present and past as it looks toward the next season’s storylines.
