Voting for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles has opened up and it’s time to take a look at who most deserves to be there.
There are several players who appear locks, whether it be for the standard they’ve set on the court or the status they’ve earned over the years — in some cases both. Debates and snubs are part and parcel of All-Star team selections and there’s room for that with the final spots.
This year’s game(s) will take on another different format, featuring three teams with two American teams and one international team. There are still 12 players getting selected from the Western Conference and another 12 from the Eastern Conference.
That’ll be the main thing here, so here are the 12 players who look set to represent the West in the NBA’s 75th All-Star Game.
MVP Locks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC, Canada)
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals and it’s the efficiency that stands out this season. He’s shooting 60.4 percent on twos and 43.2 percent on threes, both career highs. He’s also averaging the fewest turnovers (1.9) in his career since his sophomore season.
Nikola Jokic (DEN, Serbia)
Jokic is doing his best to be right there in the efficiency conversation while averaging close to a 30-point triple-double once again. His 12.3 rebounds are tied for the league lead and he is on top of the assist category. The Serb is shooting a career-best, and absolutely absurd, 68.6 percent on twos and 42.6 percent on threes. He’s also playing nearly two fewer minutes per game than last season.
Luka Doncic (LAL, Slovenia)
Doncic is leading the league in scoring at 35.2 points per game, the most since James Harden’s 36.1 in 2018-19. He’s also tossing in 8.8 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.7 steals to look set for a sixth All-Star appearance and first as a Laker.
New-School Stars
Victor Wembanyama (SAS, France)
Games played isn’t a factor when it comes to the All-Star Game and here’s hoping Wembanyama can stay healthy the rest of the way after a calf strain. He’s averaging 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds — both career highs — accompanied by 3.9 assists, 3.5 blocks and a steal per game. His efficiency is at about the same mark as last season, which is a bit surprising considering he’s halved his 3-point attempts.
Alperen Sengun (HOU, Turkey)
This should mark a second straight All-Star appearance for Sengun, averaging career highs in points (23.7), assists (7.2) and steals (1.5) while still getting it done on the glass with 9.5 rebounds per game.
Anthony Edwards (MIN, USA)
The assist numbers are down but Edwards is otherwise having a tremendous season. Edwards is averaging a career-best 28.7 points while shooting 56 percent on twos and 41.6 percent on threes, also career highs. Edwards is exactly the type of star the Sunday showcase is about and we’ll have to hope he has some special tricks for the fans during the games.
Respect Your Elders
Kevin Durant (HOU, USA)
Durant has been as advertised in Houston, putting up 25.1 points on 63.3 percent true shooting. His rebounding and assist numbers are lower than a season ago but he’s been a massive part of the Rockets’ success and should secure his 16th All-Star appearance.
Stephen Curry (GSW, USA)
It appeared as though Curry’s scoring was starting to take a hit, averaging 26.4 and 24.5 points in each of the last two seasons after 29.4 points per game in 2023-24. This season has been a return to vintage form, though, putting up 28.8 points while playing the fewest minutes of his career — save for 2011-12, where he only played 26 games.
LeBron James (LAL, USA)
Based on merit, this will be the most controversial selection as James has only played 10 games to this point and put up a very pedestrian averages of 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists. He’s shooting 26.1 percent on threes and 69.1 percent at the free-throw line. Still, the All-Star Game is a showcase event and the biggest name in the league will almost certainly be selected for a 22nd time in Los Angeles.
First-Timers
Chet Holmgren (OKC, USA)
At 25-2, the Thunder feel a lock to have two All-Stars and Holmgren has done well to make the most of the absence of Jalen Williams. The current favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 18.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 65.6 percent on twos and 40.4 percent on threes, Holmgren should be accompanying Gilgeous-Alexander in Los Angeles.
Jamal Murray (DEN, Canada)
It appears the 10th time will be the charm for Murray. Having exhibited the full extent of his talents time and time again in the postseason, we’ve been waiting quite a while to see it transpire over the course of a full regular season. Averaging a career-best 25.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists while shooting a career-best 53.2 percent on twos and a stunning 45.6 percent on threes, Murray looks set for his first All-Star appearance.
Final Spot Candidates
Austin Reaves (LAL, USA)
Reaves is having an all-time contract year, averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and a steal per game. The scoring marks an increase of over seven points per game and a good chunk of it has come via the free-throw line, where he is averaging 9.1 attempts — four more than last season. His emergence into this type of player during the time James was out of the lineup has been a huge factor in the Lakers’ success thus far.
James Harden (LAC, USA)
Now, if we’re going to be technical about the game being in Los Angeles, the game is specifically at Intuit Dome and Harden would be the Clippers’ best candidate. He is seeking his 12th All-Star appearance and doing his best to be there, averaging 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals with a 62.4 percent true shooting clip — Harden’s best mark since his Houston days.
De’Aaron Fox (SAS, USA)
Fox deserves great credit for the manner in which the Spurs were able to do more than just stay afloat in the absence of Wembanyama. To have the French phenom miss as much time as he did and San Antonio stand just a game behind the Nuggets for the West’s second seed is a testament to just how good this Texas team is.
Fox is averaging 22.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 53.5 percent on twos and a career-high 38.6 percent on threes. His free-throw woes appear a thing of the past, too, knocking down over 82 percent of his attempts for the second consecutive season, despite being a career 75 percent shooter.
Personal selection: If I have to go with one from this group, I’ll take Reaves. The Clippers don’t deserve an All-Star with a 6-21 record. Reaves’ numbers are superior to Fox’s and he’s played just a few more games.
It may seem strange to have three All-Stars from the Lakers but the game being in Los Angeles, as well as James’ storied greatness, does cater to that possibility.
