NBA All-Star Weekend 2026: Winners, Wild Moments, and a Little Denver Pride
NBA All-Star Weekend is basically the NBA’s version of a flex contest: who’s the hottest, who’s the smoothest, who can shoot the lights out, and who can make the internet explode with one dunk. This year in Los Angeles (at Intuit Dome in Inglewood), the league tried a new USA vs. World mini-tournament format, and for once… it actually felt like people cared a little more than usual.
And the best part? We got the full weekend package: a real MVP moment, a 3-point contest legend adding to his legacy, a dunk contest winner who came out of nowhere, and — yes — our own Jamal Murray stepping into the 3-point spotlight repping Denver.
ALL-STAR WEEKEND 2026 — WHO WON WHAT
- All-Star Game Champions: USA Stars
- Runner-Up: USA Stripes
- All-Star MVP: Anthony Edwards
- 3-Point Contest Winner: Damian Lillard
- 3-Point Contest Runner-Up: Devin Booker (3rd: Kon Knueppel)
- Slam Dunk Contest Winner: Keshad Johnson
- Slam Dunk Contest Runner-Up: Carter Bryant
- Shooting Stars Winner: Team Knicks
- Celebrity Game Winner: Team Giannis
- Celebrity Game MVP: Rome Flynn
The All-Star Game: New Format, Real Moments, and an Edwards Takeover
The NBA rolled out a round-robin USA vs. World setup with USA Stars, USA Stripes, and Team World, and it immediately gave the night more structure (and honestly, more juice). The championship ended up being USA Stars vs. USA Stripes, and it was a complete blowout — USA Stars won 47–21.
But the real headline was Anthony Edwards. He won the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP after scoring 32 points across the three games, and he had that perfect mix of “this is fun” and “I’m still trying to win.”
Highlight Callout: One of the tightest moments of the night was USA Stripes vs. Team World, which ended 48–45 in a nail-biter.
3-Point Contest: Dame Does Dame Things (and Jamal Reps Denver)
Here’s the full 8-man field for the 3-point contest — and yes, our own Jamal Murray was in it:
2026 3-Point Contest Competitors
- Devin Booker (Suns)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- Tyrese Maxey (76ers)
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
- Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
- Bobby Portis Jr. (Bucks)
- Norman Powell (Heat)
And the winner? Damian Lillard, who basically treats the 3-point contest like his personal offseason hobby. He won with a 29 in the final round, beating Devin Booker (27), with Kon Knueppel finishing third in the final.
Now for the Denver part: Jamal Murray scored 18 in Round 1 and didn’t advance, but it was still cool seeing a Nugget out there in the mix — because every time Jamal starts hitting those quick-release corner threes, you can almost hear Nuggets fans yelling “THAT’S OUR GUY.”
Slam Dunk Contest: Keshad Johnson Just Stole the Show
The dunk contest had four guys, and it was one of those years where you’re like “wait… who’s winning this?” right up until it happens.
2026 Dunk Contest Participants
- Carter Bryant (Spurs)
- Jaxson Hayes (Lakers)
- Keshad Johnson (Heat)
- Jase Richardson (Magic)
Keshad Johnson won, and he did it by being consistent — which is honestly rare in the dunk contest. He beat Carter Bryant in the final round, and Bryant even hit the contest’s only perfect 50, but couldn’t finish strong enough to take the trophy.
Print-ready Score Box
- Final Round: Johnson 49.6 + 47.8 (Winner) | Bryant 50.0 + 43.0
Shooting Stars: Team Knicks Went Nuclear
The Kia Shooting Stars competition came back and Team Knicks basically treated it like a warmup and still blew everyone out.
Winner: Team Knicks — Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston (with Rick Brunson as passer). They put up 47 in the final round to beat Team Cameron’s 38.
Celebrity Game: Team Giannis Wins, Rome Flynn Goes Back-to-Back MVP
The weekend kicked off with the celebrity game at the Forum, and Team Giannis beat Team Anthony 65–58. Rome Flynn won MVP again after scoring 17 points, which is the perfect amount of “okay he’s actually hooping” for a celebrity game.
Stat Box
- Final: Team Giannis 65, Team Anthony 58
- MVP: Rome Flynn (17 points)
The Big Takeaway
All-Star Weekend is always a show, but this year felt a little more “real” — the format helped, the moments were better, and the winners actually made sense. Edwards owning the MVP spotlight, Dame adding another trophy to his 3-point résumé, and Keshad Johnson stealing the dunk contest… it all gave the weekend an actual storyline instead of just highlights stitched together.
And for Denver fans, seeing our own Jamal and Jokic out there in the 3-point contest and all-star game was a nice reminder: the Nuggets still have star power, and when the real games come back, that’s when it actually matters.
