Follow-up on the All-Star starters announcement: Can LeBron still play despite missing out? Predicting the 14-man reserve lineup

On January 20th Beijing time, following weeks of voting from fans, media, and players, the 2026 NBA All-Star starters have been finalized. The West’s starting five includes Alexander, Jokic, Doncic, Wembanyama, and Curry, while the East’s starters are Giannis, Cunningham, Brunson, Maxey, and Jalen Brown. The reserve list will be announced on February 2nd.

This year’s All-Star game will feature a new format with Team USA facing the World Team. All selected players will be divided into three squads of eight players each: two teams composed of American players and one team made up of international players.

Doncic leads as the All-Star vote king, Giannis tops the Eastern conference votes, and Cunningham and Maxey make their first All-Star starting appearances. The All-Star game is set to take place on February 16th at the Inglewood Arena in Los Angeles.

ESPN provides an in-depth analysis of this year’s All-Star roster, covering the biggest surprises, the most anticipated player pairings, and predictions for the remaining reserve spots.

What are the merits of the voting results?

The Eastern starters feature three guards. One major change in this year’s All-Star voting was the removal of position labels on ballots. With top forward Tatum sidelined due to injury, the Eastern guards’ strength stands out. Traditionally, selectors might have forced a taller player into the lineup for balance, but this time they made a wise choice by not sticking to old conventions.

What controversies exist in the voting results?

It’s hard to criticize Curry’s selection as a starter. He’s undoubtedly an All-Star caliber player and deserves his sixth consecutive start. However, Edwards also merits that honor. This season, Edwards is averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game with efficiency comparable to Curry’s.

Mitchell’s votes were affected by the Cavaliers’ underwhelming team performance this season, but that doesn’t reflect on his individual play, which remains excellent. That said, both Edwards and Mitchell will likely make the All-Star team, and with the U.S. split into two squads, they might even earn starting roles, so these debates are not truly significant.

Which international player duo is most anticipated?

Giannis and Wembanyama. Giannis, known as the “Greek Freak” for his unique mix of height and explosiveness, looks almost like a guard standing next to Wembanyama. Imagine the “Freak” teaming up with the “Alien” on the All-Star court, delivering spectacular dunks from every angle. Plus, Wembanyama boasts one of the league’s best shooting touches, so when Giannis drives and draws defenders, passing out to this big man for three-pointers will be a thrilling sight.

On defense—if they choose to focus—the pair’s rim protection could be legendary. Their playing styles promise exciting highlights, and both are highly competitive athletes. If they push each other, they might create magical moments unique to the All-Star game.

Which domestic U.S. player pairing is most exciting?

Curry and Maxey. Once the full roster is set, Maxey might be replaced by Edwards, but purely for entertainment, Curry’s deep shooting range combined with Maxey’s lightning-fast ball-handling will offer an exhilarating viewing experience—especially on an All-Star stage.

The international team will feature giants like Giannis, Wembanyama, and Jokic, holding a significant height advantage; meanwhile, the two American teams will likely be guard-heavy. This contrast promises a series of thrilling, stylistically diverse matchups.

How should the league handle LeBron’s streak of 21 consecutive All-Star selections?

As long as LeBron stays healthy, he deserves to be on the All-Star stage. It’s that simple. Isn’t he one of the top 12 American players in the league? Absolutely. Does the Lakers’ Western Conference team lack competitiveness? Not at all. Are his stats worthy? With averages of 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and a 50.9% shooting percentage, he fully qualifies.

Moreover, since this All-Star game is in Los Angeles, it could very well be LeBron’s farewell All-Star appearance, so he should be included no matter what.

If coaches don’t select LeBron for the reserves, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver should personally add him to the roster.Of course, the league might still hold some resentment over last season’s incident—which is understandable. Though LeBron traveled to San Francisco to participate, he withdrew at the last moment due to ongoing foot and ankle issues.

Had he decided earlier not to play, the league could have chosen another deserving player as a replacement. The handling of last season’s situation could have been better.

But generally, the league aims to maintain the All-Star game’s appeal, which includes honoring legendary players nearing retirement. Recall Michael Jordan at the 2003 Atlanta All-Star game, Kobe Bryant in Toronto 2016, and Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade in Charlotte 2019—despite their diminished performance, Silver made exceptions to include them.

Therefore, as long as LeBron is healthy, his streak of consecutive All-Star appearances should be extended to 22 years.

What is the league’s evaluation of the new format?

Reactions to the new format have been mostly muted, but everyone hopes the changes will make the All-Star game more exciting. In 2020, the league introduced the “target score” format, which increased competitiveness, especially since it occurred shortly after Kobe Bryant’s passing. However, previous reforms have failed to sustain a high level of competition over time.

Currently, the hottest topic in the league is unrelated to the All-Star game itself. The investigation into the LA Clippers, owner Steve Ballmer, and Leonard for alleged salary cap circumvention is ongoing. This issue could overshadow the All-Star weekend, especially since the Inglewood Arena hosting the event is Ballmer’s newly built home court.

What other key impacts regarding the All-Star game should be noted?

The 2017 and 2023 collective bargaining agreement revisions nearly eliminated financial incentives for All-Star selections. A 2011 rule once granted rookies who started at least twice a max rookie extension worth 30% of the salary cap, but this is no longer the standard. Thus, Wembanyama’s starting nod won’t affect his future contract negotiations.

Overall, teams have moved away from including incentive clauses in contracts—even unlikely bonuses—because these amounts count toward the team’s luxury tax threshold. In the recent free agency period, no new contracts contained All-Star bonuses. Only seven players have All-Star incentives in their contracts: Durant, Barrett, DeMar DeRozan, DiVincenzo, Aaron Gordon, Tyler Herro, and Sabonis Jr., none of whom are starters this year.

Among the 10 All-Star starters, only Wembanyama and Brunson don’t have max contracts. Wembanyama is in the third year of his rookie deal, while Brunson signed a cost-effective four-year $156.5 million extension with the Knicks in 2024. This deal created cap space allowing the Knicks to sign Towns, re-sign Bridges, and keep their total salary under the second luxury tax threshold this season.

Predicted All-Star reserve roster

Of the remaining 14 reserve spots, eight are almost certain: Eastern Conference’s Scottie Barnes, Jalen Duren, Jalen Johnson, and Donovan Mitchell; Western Conference’s Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, and Alperen Sengun.

That leaves six spots open, three per conference. In the East, competition likely centers on the declining Knicks star Towns, Heat candidates Powell and Adebayo, plus two forwards posting impressive stats on weaker teams—Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. and Pacers’ Pascal Siakam.

The West’s final spots will be fiercely contested by strong candidates including Holmgren (from the league-leading team, with outstanding efficiency and defense despite modest basic stats), Booker (leader of the West’s biggest surprise team), top candidate for Most Improved Player Avdiya, two stars sidelined by injuries but performing at elite levels (Leonard and Austin Reaves),and LeBron James, a 21-time All-Star. Although his minutes and stats have declined this season, his legendary status makes him a strong contender for a “veteran spot.”

Here is the final predicted All-Star reserve lineup—

Eastern Conference reserves:

Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors)

Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)

Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)

Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Michael Porter Jr. (Brooklyn Nets)

Norman Powell (Miami Heat)

Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks)

Western Conference reserves:

Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers)

Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets)

Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets)

If the reserve list ends up as predicted, the All-Star player nationality distribution will be perfectly balanced: 16 American players and 8 international players. Of course, this distribution depends on whether any players withdraw due to injury before mid-February and are replaced.