NBA All-Star starters announced, LeBron James excluded from list

The NBA All-Star Weekend is set to take place from Feb. 13-15 in Los Angeles. On Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed the starting lineups for the Eastern and Western conferences.

2026 West NBA All-Star starters:

G Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
G Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
F Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
C Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

2026 East NBA All-Star starters:

G Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
G Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
G Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
G Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

LeBron James wasn’t included in the Western Conference starting lineup. It’s the first time in 21 years the all-time NBA leading scorer hasn’t been selected an All-Star starter.

At 41 years old, James’ production has decreased. However, he’s still expected to be an All-Star reserve this season. He’s averaging 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

The NBA All-Star Game will have a new format this season. The 24 total All-Stars will be split into three teams of eight players. Two of those teams will be American players, while one team will consist of international players.

If the numbers don’t perfectly equate to a 16-8 split, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will select players to supplement the teams in need. The three teams will play a round-robin style competition, with each team playing a 12-minute quarter against one another.

Whichever two teams post the best point differentials through their two quarters played will meet in a final 12-minute quarter. NBC will broadcast the event.

While the NBA All-Star Game normally starts at 8 p.m. ET, it’ll tip-off at 5 p.m. ET this year because it’ll follow up a Team USA hockey game, which is also airing on NBC. The All-Star game will take place inside the Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers’ new arena.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic received the most votes this year. Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game this season.

Meanwhile, Doncic is averaging a league-high 33.3 points, while adding 8.6 assists and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Doncic is shooting 46.4% from the field and 33.7% from beyond the arc.

Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards were tied for the fifth starting spot in the West, but the fan vote went to the Spurs’ big man. Wembanyama has now received All-Star honors twice in his three seasons in the NBA.