2026 NBA All-Star: Biggest surprises and snubs as full rosters revealed

As the calendar turns to February, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game is just two weeks away. Starters announced on January 19 and include luka doncic, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama and current mvp Shai Gilgeous-Alexander In the west. Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, jaylen brown, giannis antetokounmpo And tyreese maxi The starters were named in the past.

were reserved announced on sundayInvolved Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James And Kevin Durant even in the west Donovan Mitchell And carl-anthony town in the East.

ESPN NBA insiders Zach Cram and Kevin Pelton break down the entire East and West rosters, including the biggest surprises and upsets, and make their bold predictions.

Which player were you most surprised to see on the roster?

peloton: Lebron James Obvious choice, but see carl-anthony town The pop up was surprising considering the disappointment over how he has played this season despite the Knicks’ recent decline. I guess teammates mikal bridges New York’s second best player after the starter Jalen Brunson. Given Towns’ track record, this choice is certainly reasonable yet surprising.

Cram: LeBron. It seems silly to be surprised that a player who had made the previous 21 All-Star Games would make his 22nd in a row. But given that James missed the first month and his counting statistics are down in his age-41 season, as well as the fierce competition in the Western Conference player pool, it was a surprise that his final name was unveiled during the All-Star roster announcement.

Which player were you most surprised to see out?

peloton: kawhi leonard. Unless this is a covert part of the punishment from the NBA’s investigation of Leonard’s endorsement deal with Aspiration, I don’t understand it. Leonard has been a top-10 player this season, and after a terrible start, LA Clippers Have been one of the hottest teams in the league since Christmas. Anthony Edwards This was the only West Reserve I would have chosen over Leonard. If I were the multi-time Finals MVP playing in LA, Leonard would be an easier choice than James.

Cram: alperen sengun Was a first-time All-Star last season, has improved as a defender and has helped put up better stats across the board this year. Houston Rockets To the second best point difference in the west. new rocket Kevin Durant Was a shoo-in, but I think Sengun should have given Houston a second All-Star representative, even if it meant Devin Booker missed and surprising phoenix sun Not a single player was found in the team.

Are we getting close to enough international All-Stars to play a normal USA/World 12 vs. 12 game?

peloton: Internationally we may also be closer to East versus West. Some of the answers depend on how creative the NBA wants to be with its definition of an international. Donovan Mitchell Recently Endscape’s Mark J. The case was put forward to Spears that she would like to represent Panama, where her grandmother was born. If the NBA pursued every possible such case or kyrie irving (Born in Australia, although he grew up in the US), he could have reached 12 without diminishing what it means to be an All-Star.

Cram: There are almost enough qualified international players to complete the 12-man roster; Had this been the same set-up this season, there would have been potentially eight genuine international all-stars joining Sengun, lauri markkanen, franz wagner (despite lack of playing time) and joel embiid. (Embiid was born in Cameroon but plays internationally for Team USA; the NBA could also select Towns, who was born in New Jersey but plays as an international representative for the Dominican Republic.) josh giddy, OG Anunoby And dillon brooks There are external issues also.

However, those players largely do not have better All-Star affairs compared to the best Americans ranked ninth through 12th, so I wouldn’t advocate such a consequential change right now. Let’s see how the format works this year with three teams (two American, one international) before deciding whether the NBA should change the All-Star format once again.

Give us a bold prediction for the All-Star Game/Mini-Tournament.

peloton: Changing the format provides short-term benefits to the NBA. Drafting teams and introducing a goal score (also known as the “Elam Ending”) initially resulted in more competitive games before evolving into the defense-free game we have seen since. I can especially see the international team taking things seriously and forcing their American opponents to raise their game. However, I don’t see this or anything else “fixing” the All-Star Game long term.

Cram: Victor Wembanyama Takes MVP honors. Big men rarely win this award in the All-Star Game – it has gone to a guard or wing in 13 of the last 15 years, anthony davis And giannis antetokounmpo As the only exception – but Vembanyama is so competitive that he would benefit from taking the event seriously. In his first All-Star Game last year, he led his team in scoring (11 points in seven minutes), and he and Chris Paul were disqualified for trying to exploit a loophole in the skills challenge.