Breaking News: Giannis Antetokounmpo has reportedly shown high levels of interest in the New—did you really think there’d be breaking news this week? Yeah, yeah, I know, a lot of trades did happen, and I WILL be covering them (watch out for next week’s addition)! Despite the format this year being a little bit unorthodox (which I will cover next week), the concept of East & West starters remains the same. As for now, we have some NBA All-Stars to grade, so, without further ado, lets welcome our 2026 NBA ALL-STARS:
Eastern Conference
Starters:
At point guard, from Villanova, we have JALEN BRUNSON. This is Brunson’s second All-Star start and his third All-Star game, and, to be honest with you, this was COMPLETELY deserved. Brunson has been averaging 27.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 6.1 apg while leading the Knicks to an 8 game win streak, including the double overtime win against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Next up, at power forward, we have GIANNIS ANTETONKOUNMPO. Giannis received the most fan-votes for the game while averaging 28.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 5.9 apg, which dutifully earned him his 10th All-Star selection, despite the Bucks’ losing record.
This year was also filled with two new All-Stars getting their first starts, with Cade Cunningham and Tyrese Maxey receiving these honors after leading their teams to respectable records. Lastly, for the starters, there is Jalen Brown, who has been proving all his haters wrong by leading the Celtics to the 3rd seed, a record that they currently share with the New York Knicks.
Bench:
WOW, if I could tell you one thing, it would be how surprised I am at the number of first-time All-Stars in this game, especially out of the east. Three out of the seven bench players (Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren, and Normal Powell) are making their first All-Star appearances, all equally deserved.
What shocked me the most, however, is that unlike Johnson and Duren, who are rising young stars, Powell is 32 years old averaging 23.0 points, which dwarfs his career average of 13.9 ppg, especially since he has played for 11 seasons. Other than these players, other bench pieces include Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes, all of which provide a high upside to their respective teams.
Western Conference
Starters:
If the NBA still did the East vs West format, this team would be like the Monstars in Space Jam. Just listen to the lineup: Luka Dončić, Stephen Curry, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Nikola Jokić, and Victor Wembenyama. Three out of those five guys are champions, two are MVPs, and the other two left over are the leading scorer in the NBA and the greatest prospect since LeBron James. Oh, and did I mention that Curry is the only American player on that lineup? Also, who would’ve thought that UNC Curry still has it, averaging 27.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 4.9 apg at the age of 37.
Man, this whole starters situation is really signaling the end of an era. It is the first time in over 20 years that LeBron James has not been selected as an All-Star starter and it is also the largest number of international starters in the game’s history. All said and done, however, I still believe that all of these starters deserve their spot, with the only “questionable” pick being Stephen Curry, who some people believe is playing at a lower level than Anthony Edwards.
Bench:
Similar to the East bench, a large number of players in this All-Star draft are international players, including Deni Avdija, who is the first Israeli All-Star in NBA history. Other all stars in the Western bench include Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Jamal Murray. A varied group, huh? Just like with the starters, the bench is a mix of both old and new, with legends such as James, Leonard, and Durant combined with younger stars such as Booker, Edwards, Holmgren, and Murray. Overall, these players were really well chosen, with the only “exception” being LeBron, who has only averaged around 21 points this season while pushing 42 years old.
Conclusion
I fully agree with most of the picks in this All-Star draft, especially considering the format for this year’s game. I am also very happy with the state of the league right now, and I firmly believe that this All-Star game officially marks the bridge between the 2010s era of basketball and the modern-day state of the league. Congrats to all of the new All-Stars (and their fans!) on making the game!
