USA Stars Win NBA All-Star
USA Stars defeated USA Stripes to claim the 2026 NBA All-Star championship after a thrilling finish. Kawhi Leonard exploded for 23 points including 15 straight in the fourth quarter, shooting 7-7 from the field and 5-5 from three-point range to lead the comeback. Anthony Edwards earned the Kobe Bryant MVP Award for his electrifying play throughout the weekend.
- The 2026 NBA All-Star Game featured a new tournament format with three teams: USA Stars, USA Stripes, and a World team. The two American squads advanced to the championship game after a round-robin with the international players. - This was the first All-Star MVP award for Anthony Edwards, who is a four-time All-Star. He scored a total of 32 points across the three mini-games of the tournament. - The All-Star Game MVP award was officially renamed the Kobe Bryant MVP Award in February 2020, just weeks after his death. Bryant himself won the award a record-tying four times. - Kawhi Leonard, a seven-time All-Star, was a special addition to the player pool by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to help balance the two American rosters under the new format. - The victory for the USA Stars took place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers. - This marked the fourth different All-Star game format in as many years as the league continues to experiment with ways to increase the game's competitiveness. - Prior to his fourth-quarter heroics, Kawhi Leonard had previously won the All-Star Game MVP award in 2020.
