The 2026 NBA All-Star Game, marking the 75th edition of the league's midseason showcase, is set to electrify Intuit Dome near Los Angeles, in Inglewood, California, from Friday, February 13, to Sunday, February 15. This star-studded weekend promises a blend of burgeoning talent, seasoned veterans, and a new competition format, alongside a visual celebration of the event's rich history through its iconic uniforms.

The festivities kick off on Friday, February 13, with the Rising Stars showcase at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock. This event highlights the league's promising young players, featuring Rookie of the Year contender Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. However, the event will see notable absences from 2025's No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, sidelined with a foot sprain, and former No. 2 pick Alex Sarr, out with a hamstring strain. NBA insiders project Team Vince, including Edgecombe, Derik Queen, and Matas Buzelis, as the favorite to win the mini-tournament. Earlier on Friday, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, the Celebrity Game returns, featuring an eclectic mix of familiar faces, including two current NBA governors, Mat Ishbia of the Phoenix Suns and Rick Schnall of the Charlotte Hornets. They will be joined by NFL stars Keenan Allen and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Saturday, February 14, will be a night of skill demonstrations broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. The 3-point shoot-off will feature two-time champion Damian Lillard, who despite an Achilles injury keeping him out all season, aims for a historic third consecutive win. He will face stiff competition from Donovan Mitchell, the league leader in 3-pointers made, alongside sharpshooters like Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Norman Powell, Jamal Murray, Bobby Portis, and Kon Knueppel. Based on wide-open 3-point percentages, Mitchell, Powell, and Murray are strong contenders. Insiders have nonetheless picked Lillard to win. The Slam Dunk Contest introduces new faces, with three of the four contestants – second-year forward Keshad Johnson and rookies Carter Bryant and Jase Richardson – having scarcely dunked in NBA games this season. Jaxson Hayes, a seven-year veteran, rounds out the field. Jase Richardson notably carries a strong dunking lineage, as his father, Jason Richardson, won back-to-back dunk titles in 2002 and 2003. Keshad Johnson is the insider's choice for this event. Replacing the traditional skills challenge, the Shooting Stars competition makes a comeback, featuring three-person teams composed of two current NBA players and an NBA legend. Team Harper, with NBA legend Ron Harper joined by Dylan and Ron Jr., highlights a unique family dynamic, while Jalen Johnson’s presence on Team Cameron provides an ironic twist given his Duke departure. Team Knicks is the insider pick.

The climax of the weekend arrives on Sunday, February 15, at 5 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with the main All-Star Game adopting a new "Team USA versus The World" format. This round-robin tournament will pit three star-stacked teams – Team Stars, Team Stripes, and Team World – against each other. While the format aims to inject competitiveness, it will proceed without significant participants like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Stephen Curry due to injuries. Nevertheless, anticipation remains high for matchups like Victor Wembanyama leading Team World against Kevin Durant and Team Stripes, or Anthony Edwards challenging Team Stars. The game could also mark a final All-Star appearance for LeBron James. Insiders predict Team World will emerge victorious.

Beyond the thrilling competitions, the 75th NBA All-Star Game serves as a reminder of the event's enduring legacy, reflected in the evolution of its uniforms. Since the inaugural game in 1951, the NBA All-Star uniforms have undergone significant transformations, moving from simple designs to elaborate, city-inspired, and team-logo-centric aesthetics. Each NBA team now boasts four jersey editions—Association, Icon, City, and Statement—contributing to over 100 different uniforms seen league-wide in recent seasons. For the ninth consecutive year, Jordan Brand outfits the All-Stars, with the 2026 uniforms unveiled in February.

Historically, the earliest All-Star jerseys in 1951, worn in Boston, were simple white for the East and inverse for the West, notably featuring belts as elastic waistbands were not yet standard. The 1960s saw the introduction of conference designations on the jerseys. By 1967, a trend emerged to honor the host city, exemplified by the San Francisco Warriors' City edition inspiring the look. This continued in 1972 with Lakers-themed outfits in Inglewood and in 1980 with Washington-modeled jerseys. A highly popular style debuted in 1985, used for six consecutive years and even revived for 2003 and 2004. The 1990s brought arguably the most memorable designs, starting with the 1991-1994 version. The 1995 Phoenix game featured vibrant colors, a stark contrast to the traditional red, white, and blue. The decade concluded in 1997 with the East wearing home jerseys and the West wearing road uniforms.

The new millennium continued the evolution. The 2004 Los Angeles game showcased diagonal lettering, a format used only once. Cursive fonts made a brief return in 2007 after a two-decade hiatus. The 2014 New Orleans game featured the short-lived fad of sleeved jerseys. A minimalist design reminiscent of the earliest games appeared in 2015, using black for the Western Conference and white for the Eastern Conference, with players' full names printed on the back. Finally, the current format, adopted in 2018 in Los Angeles, eliminated East and West designations, instead using black and white to differentiate squads while prominently displaying each player's team logo on the front, symbolizing a shift towards individual team representation within the All-Star spectacle.