The NBA will pause its regular season this weekend for All-Star Weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. 25 of the league’s best players will participate in the annual showcase, including six who earned All-Star nods for the first time.
After several years of format tweaks and disinterest from players, the league has opted for yet another new format this season: two eight-player teams made up of American teams will compete against a nine-player team of international stars in a round-robin tournament, with each team playing each of the others and the two teams with the best records meeting in the final.
Though only 25 players will take the court, 28 will end up with official All-Star nods on their resumes, as three players were originally named to the teams but had to be replaced because of injuries.
Here’s who those three are:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo, a 10-time All-Star honoree, was the first of the absent All-Stars to suffer his injury, as he exited late in the fourth quarter of a loss against the Denver Nuggets on January 23, telling reporters after the game that he’d sustained a calf strain and would miss roughly a month of action. It’s the second consecutive season in which Antetokounmpo has sat out the All-Star Game while recovering from a calf strain; last season, Trae Young replaced him in the showcase, and Antetokounmpo went on to return to action in the Milwaukee Bucks’ first game of the second half.
Injuries have limited the Greek star to just 30 games, but when he’s been on the court, he’s played at an MVP level, averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. Milwaukee is a solid 15-15 in his starts and just 7-15 in games in which he hasn’t appeared. He’s also a one-time All-Star Game MVP, having taken home the honor in 2021.
Though it had long been assumed that he’d ultimately end up missing the All-Star Game, the NBA didn’t announce his replacement until earlier this afternoon, when San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was named to the game for the second time in his career. In 45 games this season, Fox is averaging 19.4 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 48-35-80 shooting splits for a Spurs team that surprisingly sits second in the Western Conference. He’ll play for his head coach, Mitch Johnson, as part of the USA Stripes team, while San Antonio teammate Victor Wembanyama will feature for the World team. To fill Antetokounmpo’s spot on Team World, Miami Heat guard Norman Powell — who represents Jamaica internationally — moved over from USA Stripes.
Stephen Curry
The Golden State Warriors icon is a 12-time All-Star, but he hasn’t played since January 30, when he felt pain in his kneecap. Like Antetokounmpo, it’ll be the second time he’ll have missed the All-Star showcase due to an injury; he also sustained a leg injury shortly before the 2023 All-Star Game and didn’t participate that season. He ultimately missed exactly a month before returning on March 5 as the Warriors went on to lose in the second round of the playoffs that season.
This season, Curry was in strong form, averaging 27.2 points per game and draining 39.1% of his three-pointers. He leads the NBA in three-point makes per game for the 11th time, in three-point attempts per game for the 10th time, and in free-throw percentage for sixth time. The 37-year-old is a two-time All-Star MVP, having won it in 2022 and 2025.
Despite his suffering his injury on January 30, it wasn’t until Tuesday that he was officially ruled out for the midseason showcase. The NBA announced that Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram would replace him on USA Stripes. Ingram, a two-time All-Star, has averaged 21.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in his first season with the Raptors, who are fifth in the Eastern Conference. Ingram’s Toronto teammate, Scottie Barnes, will play for Team USA Stars, and Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković will coach Team World.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
In the build-up to what was could’ve been a marquee game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs on February 4, the Thunder announced that Gilgeous-Alexander had been diagnosed with an abdominal strain, ruling him out until at least Oklahoma City’s first game after the All-Star break. It’ll be the first time that the durable four-time All-Star, who’d missed just two games this season prior to being diagnosed with his latest injury, has missed the showcase.
The reigning MVP and Finals MVP is averaging 31.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game this season, and he’s leading the league in made field goals per game. When he’s been on the court, the Thunder have outscored opponents by 15.9 points per 100 possessions, and they’ve recorded a 38-11 record in his starts. He’s a -220 favorite to win his second consecutive MVP at DraftKings Sportsbook, and Oklahoma City is +130 to win its second straight title.
After Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out for the All-Star game, the NBA named the Houston Rockets’ Alperen Şengün to the competition. It’ll be Şengün’s second appearance, after he also made the team in 2025. The Turkish center is averaging 20.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game this season and has helped the Rockets reach fourth in the Western Conference. Şengün’s teammate, Kevin Durant, will play for Team USA Stripes.
