The NBA plans to trot out a round-robin tournament format for the 2026 All-Star game, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The league has been nothing if not proactive in tinkering with the format of the competition in recent years, cycling through many different approaches to engage players and fans.
Sources inform Charania that this coming season’s round-robin competition is expected to comprise a trio of eight-player teams, including a pair of U.S.-born rosters and one international club. They would play 12 minutes per quarter of action in a Ryder Cup-emulating setup.
The NBPA and the league received a “positive” reaction from the Competition Committee on Wednesday, Charania notes. NBA executives, owners and players were all involved in talks.