The 2026 NBA All-Star game shattered the viewership dip that the highly-anticipated weekend had seen over the last 15 years.
According to the league’s communications office, the TV ratings for this year’s event peaked at 8.8 million viewers, which is 87% more than last year’s ratings (4.7 million viewers). The most-viewed All-Star game of all time is the 1993 version of the event, which peaked at 22.91 million viewers on TV.
The NBA was under a lot of pressure to deliver a solid product of basketball to the fans at the All-Star game, as the media narrative pressured the league to add more competition to the coveted weekend. As a result, they introduced a new format of Team USA vs Team World, while stepping away from the traditional East vs. West format.
Even though most veteran players did not indulge in the media narrative about the event, two young players, Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama, seemed to have taken the burden on their shoulders to uplift the basketball level for the weekend.
Meanwhile, the only veteran who seemed to play with some competitive intensity was Kawhi Leonard, who dropped 31 points against Team World to close out an epic matchup.
The Timberwolves’ superstar Edwards won the All-Star game MVP, but it was the Spurs’ Wembanyama who got most of the credit from players and fans for bringing the energy back to the highly-anticipated weekend.
In 2011, 15 years ago, players like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, who are veterans now, were the young new players looking to make their mark in the league. And since then, those names have become staple to the All-Star weekend.
As Blake Griffin rightly said, it is the young generation’s responsibility to add new elements to the coveted game that make it interesting for NBA fans. Curry introduced the half-court heaves that every other player now tries to replicate.
Similarly, it is the new generation’s responsibility to bring the competitive intensity that fans are clearly craving for now at the All-Star weekend.
Edwards ended the weekend averaging 10.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 59.0% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Wembanyama averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 76.9% from the field and 80.0% from beyond the three-point arc.
The two former No. 1 overall picks, Edwards and Wembanyama, will probably become names consistently heard at the event over the next several years. It is on them to provide this basketball product consistently to bring back the public anticipation of the All-Star weekend instead of the rampant criticism it faced.
Last night, it was also confirmed that the Suns will be hosting next year’s All-Star Game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. It will surely be interesting to see if more young players are inspired by Edwards and Wembanyama to bring the competitive intensity to the All-Star game from next season.
