Save the ratings! The 2026 All-Stars will launch a new competition format, a strong dialogue will be staged, and the United States team will rise to the challenge

Although the commercial value of the NBA has increased in recent years, what is a bit embarrassing is that the most valuable All-Star Game in the past has become increasingly useless in recent years. Different from the stars in the past, although many players are now selected for the All-Star lineup, they regard the All-Stars as a place to recuperate and no longer invest too much energy in the game.

In addition, because the current NBA pays more and more attention to three-point shooting, the perception of the game has also decreased. The ratings of the NBA All-Star Game in recent seasons have been in a continuous downward trend, which is obviously what Adam Silver does not want to see.

In fact, the All-Star Game in recent years has not failed to make some new attempts. First, the traditional Eastern and Western competition was transformed into a self-selected player competition between the two top vote-getters from the Eastern and Western Conferences. Later, 8-man teams were divided into teams that stood out from the rookie competition. A total of 4 teams competed in the semi-finals and finals. But this failed to restore the ratings, so in order to attract more viewers in the 2026 All-Star Game, Xiao Hua carried out a new round of reforms. Let us take a look at how the new All-Star Game will compete!

Team USA VS Team World, making the confrontation more interesting.

This time, Xiao Hua gave what the audience wanted to see most, which was Team USA VS Team World. Although the Olympic basketball world has been dominated by the Dream Team in recent years, in the eyes of the outside world, this is because the overall lineups of other national teams cannot match them, so they cannot stop the dominance of the Dream Team.

And this time, Xiao Hua also fulfilled the fans' wish with a big wave of his hand, allowing them to see the showdown between the Dream Team and the strongest team in the world. The 24 All-Star players from the East and West are still voted by fans. Among them, there are 16 American players and 8 players from other countries. If there are less than 8 players in the world team, the league will make up the amount as appropriate. This also means that this year's All-Star lineup may exceed the previous limit of 24 people.

There is no doubt that after this grouping is completed, whether it is the two American All-Star players or the only World All-Star player, their fighting spirit and passion for competition will be ignited. After all, outstanding players from all over the world want to prove that they are stronger than American players, and American players will naturally defend their local glory. Therefore, the fun and confrontation of this game will undoubtedly be greatly improved.

The game is only four quarters, and the confrontation will be full.

Let’s talk about another rule of this All-Star Game, that is, the game time will not be too long. Considering the physical distribution of the players, the three teams will only play a single round of games, which is only 2 games in the group stage, and the game time is only 12 minutes, which is one quarter.

This also means that if the players want to win the game, they must get into the game immediately after the game starts, otherwise it is very likely that the outcome of a game will determine their ability to advance. Although the current mainstream of the NBA is still three-point shooting and fast breaks, it lacks some dunk performances that fans love.

But the All-Stars have seized on this point and limited the time to 12 minutes. Even if they want to shoot three-pointers from the outside, they must carefully consider it and devote enough energy to both offense and defense. There is no doubt that this All-Star Game will be full of confrontation from the beginning, and the fierce rhythm of the game will undoubtedly ignite the enthusiasm of the fans.

The lineup of the World Championship is terrifying, and the ratings are expected to increase!

Finally, let’s talk about some details of this year’s All-Star Game. Unlike more than a decade ago, the quality of international players has been significantly improved. The players who can be named today are Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. These are all international players, and they are all players ranked at least in the top ten in the NBA. Although the US team still has Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James, they are all at the end of their careers and it may be difficult to compete with them.

So this time the World All-Star team is undoubtedly the favorite to win the final All-Star game. Naturally, the U.S. All-Stars are unwilling to give up the game, and the U.S. defense battle will take place as scheduled. Therefore, this year's All-Star Game is a key node. Such huge innovation and reform are risky, but if it can really succeed, the ratings will undoubtedly be greatly improved. This is the effect Xiao Hua wants to see. Catering to the tastes of fans is the best strategy.