NBA Announces 2026 All-Star Starters

Luka Dončić will start this year’s NBA All-Star game. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

On Monday, the NBA announced the starting lineups for the 2026 All-Star game. The annual showcase is slated to be held from February 13-15 in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome, home of the Clippers. Every year fans vote for who they believe earned the honor of starting the All-Star game based on their play in the first half of the year; in recent years the league has opted to take into account coach and player votes as well.

This year is a bit different across the board. The NBA introduced a new “USA vs. World” format for the actual game itself and will add All-Stars if the nominations don’t match the numbers required (eight players for the “World” team, 16 for the “USA” team). Additionally, for the first time the starting lineups were positionless.

This year’s starting lineups for the East and West are loaded with starpower. Here’s who will be lining up for tip when the All-Star game commences on Sunday, February 15.

Eastern Conference All-Star Starters 2026

Starting for the Eastern Conference will be: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey and Celtics’ Jaylen Brown.

PLAYER	TEAM	ALL-STAR APPERANCES
Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks	10
Jalen Brunson	New York Knicks	3
Cade Cunningham	Detroit Pistons	2
Tyrese Maxey	Philadelphia 76ers	2
Jaylen Brown	Boston Celtics	5

The East lineup this year didn’t feature much in the way of surprises. Each player named as a starter has been tremendous for their team so far this season. And while there are no first-time All-Stars, three players will be making their first-ever start in the ASG: Brown, Cunningham, and Maxey. It’s a star-studded lineup.

Western Conference All-Star Starters 2026

Starting for the Western Conference will be: Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, Lakers’ Luka Dončić, Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Warriors’ Steph Curry, and Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama.

PLAYER	TEAM	ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
Nikola Jokić	Denver Nuggets	8
Luka Dončić	Los Angeles Lakers	6
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Oklahoma City Thunder	4
Steph Curry	Golden State Warriors	12
Victor Wembanyama	San Antonio Spurs	2

The West starters make for a much more interesting narrative. The nomination that stands out the most, of course, is the inclusion of Wembanyama in the starting lineup. The French superstar was outstanding to begin the year but dealt with a few injuries and wound up coming off the bench as a super-sub for a stretch. Per the broadcast of the starting lineup reveal, Wembanyama finished tied with Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards in the coach and player vote but the fan vote broke the tie in Wemby’s favor.

Beyond him, there is obviously one big name missing: LeBron James. James missed the first chunk of the year with sciatica and took a while to play up to his normal standards, so there wasn’t much momentum in terms of his All-Star starter status. But his absence from this year’s starting lineup breaks a remarkable streak: he had been voted as a starter for the All-Star game for 21 straight years leading into this season. He didn’t play last year due to injury but was voted in as a starter. Whether he’ll be selected as a reserve will be very interesting to watch.

However, this starting lineup may not be set. Jokić was, unsurprisingly, the top vote-getter in the West and earned his starting spot. But he’s missed the last few weeks with a knee injury and it isn’t yet clear what his health status will be when the All-Star break rolls around. If he and the Nuggets decide he can’t participate, the NBA will have to find a starter to replace him.

It should be a fun All-Star game. The last step will be the reveal of the full ASG rosters, which will come sometime in the next few weeks.

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