Credit: Los Angeles Times
Darren & Vic's Takes: All-Star Weekend Assessment
Published: Saturday, February 21, 2026
by Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa
In this week’s edition of Darren and Vic’s Takes, we decided to switch things up. As you know, NBA All-Star weekend was last week, and we wanted to share our opinions on the new format, and if all the events should continue. So, without further adieu, let us get into these takes.
Darren's Takes
I have been a fan of the NBA All-Star festivities for as long as I can remember. However, it just does not hit the same as it used to. My dad and I used to watch everything ranging from the All-Star Celebrity game, NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and of course the main event the All-Star game, but something just feels off about it now.
Back in the day everything was must-see action. The celebrity game, when it was Kevin Hart and Nick Cannon leading the East vs. West teams was obviously just for fun, but it was still entertaining because it was all a big joke.
The Dunk contest used to be fun to watch. Zach Lavine vs. Aaron Gordon is probably one of my favorite dunk contests ever because it went down to the wire, and they pulled out dunks that nobody had ever seen. Mac McClung has been entertaining over the last couple of years, but he did not want to compete this time. I am guessing it is because of the level of competition.
The three-point contest is one that I cannot ever be mad at because it never fails to amaze me. Every year it features the best shooters, but some of the selections this year were questionable. Bobby Portis was a surprise, as even though his 3-point percentage is good, it is not what his all-around game is about. Damian Lillard was also interesting, as he participated while still recovering, was wild too and he won.
In terms of this year’s All-Star Weekend, the only thing I did not like was the timing of everything, because it was so early. I tuned in to watch, and everything was already over, which is crazy. All-Star Saturday night is usually at 8 p.m., so it was wild that it happened so early. The All-Star game was early too, which was not good. Surprisingly, it still got the most views since 2011, but it needs to go back to the way it used to be.
In terms of the All-Star format, it’s not bad, but it also isn’t good. I’m pretty sure Adam Silver was annoyed when a team cracked 200 points in the All-Star Game a couple of years ago, which is why the format really shifted because he actually wants defense to be played.
However, he also needs to think about the fans and entertainment. When it was East vs West, it was better. It got more views and lots of people showed up. I think it should go back to that next year. No four different teams, just the best players from the East and best players from the West. Simple as that!
Victor's Takes
I am in agreement with much of what Darren said here. I too remember when I would have friends over and order Pizza Hut or Dominoes for the All-Star festivities. I also remember how iconic the Zach LaVine vs. Aaron Gordon contest was. There has been a few other solid ones but I will admit it, it is not the same.
I think one of the biggest components to this however, is that every year now it seems that mainstream media makes an effort to attack the All-Star weekend and make the conversation linger. I believe this will instantly fend off anticipation for fans when the coverage prior to the events, often tends to be so pessimistic.
I think it says something that a G-league player who barely ever gets any real NBA minutes in Mac McClung, has been touted and praised for “saving the dunk contest” over the last few years excluding this one. That singles to fans that even the star power of the event has also diminished. I am sure if we put Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and Donovan Mitchell in the contest, the ratings would probably be through the roof.
I agree with Darren that, the 3-point contest in certain respects might be taking over as the top event. It just always seems to amaze people watching the best jump shooters on the planet compete, and puts fans on the edge of their seats when scores get close. Damian Lillard has been a clear embodiment of this, and he is a tough one to beat. If he wins one more he will have the most 3-point contest championships all-time with four total, so I do expect him back in it next season.
This year’s All-Star game format was definitely a bit exotic but it turned out to be more entertaining than the last few years, according to many across social media. It was separated into four shorter games, as opposed to the typical one game, two team format. There were two USA Teams (Stars and Stripes) and then the World team. The Stars ended up on top and Anthony Edwards won MVP for the night.
This year’s game was definitely more entertaining in the fact that we saw a lot of the stars put in effort to actually win the games. The last game between the Stars and Stripes was the only blowout. However, the first game ended in overtime with the Stars coming out on top 37-35. The next two games also went down to the wire and were one possession games.
I am an advocate for whatever is going to bring the best quality of action and will get fans the most excited. This format appeared to work and so I am sure they will try it again but I think eventually the league may just have to go back traditional format. When you constantly change the format and the event does not live up to par, it tends to create disappointment and disincentivize fans to watch again.
Darren Worrell can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu. Victor Lisboa can be reached at victor.lisboa@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,