A Sixers Viewing Guide to 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend

For the second straight year, Joel Embiid has All-Star Weekend off. How he wasn't named an injury replacement ahead of Brandon Ingram or De'Aaron Fox, the world may never know.

But even without Embiid, the Sixers will be well-represented this year at All-Star Weekend.

The main highlight will come Sunday, when Tyrese Maxey makes his first All-Star start for USA Stars. He'll be sharing the court with the NBA's other best up-and-coming stars, including Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards and Jalen Johnson.

Before that, Maxey will be taking part in the 3-Point Contest on Saturday. And on Friday, rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe will be suiting up in the Rising Stars game.

Want to know exactly when and how to watch those events? Consider this your viewing guide for All-Star Weekend if you're only concerned about when to watch Sixers players.

Friday night

VJ Edgecombe is participating in the Castrol Rising Stars (9 p.m. ET, Peacock) as part of Team Vince. His squad will be taking on Team T-Mac at approximately 9:55 p.m. ET for the right to make it to the Rising Stars Championship (10:35 p.m. ET).

Edgecombe's squad may be facing an uphill battle against Team T-Mac, which features Kon Knueppel, Jaylon Tyson, Kel'el Ware and Tre Johnson. Alex Sarr and Ajay Mitchell are both on the team as well, although both are injured and won't play.

Edgecombe will share the court with Matas Buzelis, Cedric Coward, Derik Queen and Kyshawn George, so his team isn't drawing completely dead. However, of the three teams comprised of first- and second-year NBA players, his has the longest odds to win at +255, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

If you're thirsting for basketball action before the Rising Stars game, the All-Star Celebrity Game is at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. However, unless you're below the age of 25, there's a real chance that you'll recognize more of the coaches than the players.

Seeing Suns governor Mat Isbhia put ESPN's Shams Charania in a blender will be worth the price of admission, though.

Saturday night

The Slam Dunk Contest used to reign supreme on All-Star Saturday night. When stars like Michael Jordan and Vince Carter were willing to compete, nothing could top the dunk contest. The instant-classic 2016 dunk contest between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine remains legendary to this day.

This year, the four participants in the dunk contest are Carter Bryant, Jaxson Hayes, Keshad Johnson and Jase Richardson. There's no word yet on whether Inside the NBA will hit Charles Barkley with a "Who He Play For?" using the dunk-contest participants.

While the dunk contest field might be lacking, the 3-Point Contest is loaded as usual. It's also first up on the All-Star Saturday schedule, which is starting far earlier (5 p.m. ET on Peacock) than it has in past years.

Tyrese Maxey will be aiming to become the first Sixers player ever to win the 3-Point Contest, but he's facing a stiff challenge. Knueppel, Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, Norman Powell and Damian Lillard (!!) will be among those aiming to outshoot him.

We already went into way too much of a rabbit hole when trying to determine Maxey's chances of winning. Thankfully, Vegas oddsmakers have come up with their own odds for the event. Knueppel is the favorite at +270, per FanDuel Sportsbook, while Lillard (+410) and Devin Booker (+550) round out the top three. Murray and Maxey are up next, tied at +650.

Based on Murray's pull-up percentage this season, he might be the best value on the board. We've all seen Maxey catch fire, though. He shouldn't be ruled out as a legitimate threat to win.

The Shooting Stars challenge is sandwiched by the 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. Zero Sixers are participating this year, which means you can safely ignore it unless you're a Duke alumnus or a member of the Harper family. (Use this time wisely and cram Valentine's Day dinner in.)

Sunday night

After two days of sideshows, the main attraction arrives Sunday night. And much like with All-Star Saturday, the NBA shifted the All-Star Game much earlier in the evening. Therein lies the benefit of staging All-Star Weekend one week after the NFL season ends.

The All-Star Sunday festivities are set to begin at 5 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock. That means the actual All-Star Game should tip off at roughly 5:45 p.m., give or take.

Maxey is on USA Stars—aka the young American All-Stars—with Cuningham, Edwards, Johnson, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Jalen Duren and Chet Holmgren. Seeing as USA Stripes doesn't have a single center on its roster, the young guns might be able to topple the OGs, although USA Stripes is the slight favorite, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

Team World is stacked with Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama and Alperen Şengün, among others, although it is heavy on frontcourt players and light on guards. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined, Luka Dončić, Jamal Murray and Norman Powell are Team World's only conventional backcourt players. With that said, both Deni Avdija and Karl-Anthony Towns have legitimate playmaking chops from the forward spot.

All three teams will face one another in a round-robin tournament. The teams with the two best records—or, if all three teams finish 1-1, the two teams with the best point differential—will advance to a championship game.

Game 1 pits Team World against USA Stars, so Sixers fans will get an early taste of Maxey vs. Luka and Wemby. The winner of that game faces USA Stripes at 5:55 p.m. ET, while the loser of that game takes on USA Stripes at 6:25 p.m. ET. The championship is set to begin at 7:10 p.m. ET.

After All-Star Weekend, the NBA isn't back in action until Thursday. So, these next few days are our last chance to get a taste of NBA action for a week. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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