The highest-flying event in hoops caps one of the best nights on the NBA calendar.
All-Star Saturday is here, with three action-packed events starting at 5 ET (NBC & Peacock) at LA’s Intuit Dome.
Peep the lineup, in order, below:
- State Farm 3-Point Contest
- Kia Shooting Stars
- AT&T Slam Dunk
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 14, 2026
AT&T Slam Dunk: Four young flyers look to leave their mark on a timeless All-Star stage
State Farm 3-Point Contest: One winning reason for each of the eight participants to take the trophy
Kia Shooting Stars: Teammates, classmates, family. Which team’s connection claims victory?
Castrol Rising Stars: Edgecombe earns MVP with 2 winners and 1 takeover as Team Vince takes title
Ruffles Celebrity Game: Rome Flynn & Tacko Fall ball, Lin sinks 8-pointer as Team Giannis dubs
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Shining bright in Los Angeles…
All-Star Saturday (5 ET, NBC & Peacock) tips off tonight at Intuit Dome with the State Farm 3-Point Contest, followed by Kia Shooting Stars. The night closes with the always-electric AT&T Slam Dunk.
NBA All-Star Media Day presented by AT&T also takes place today (2 ET, NBA App & NBA TV), before NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s news conference (4 ET, NBA App & NBA TV).
The 75th NBA All-Star Game tips off Sunday (5 ET, NBC & Peacock), capping All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles with a new U.S. vs. World format. See the full All-Star Game rosters here.
Chris Paul Retires: 12-time All-Star Chris Paul, who ranks 2nd on both the all-time assists and steals lists, has announced he is stepping away from basketball after 21 seasons.
- Silver Honors Paul: Commissioner Adam Silver congratulated Paul on his storied career in a statement yesterday, praising his talent, work ethic and his role as a former president of the National Basketball Players Association
- Paul’s Extraordinary Journey: “The tenacious point guard became an NBA legend with a combination of skills, intelligence and determination,” wrote NBA.com’s Shaun Powell
- 10 Things On CP3: Learn more about the all-time guard with these 10 interesting facts and stories about his life and career
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
1. AT&T SLAM DUNK: FOUR FLYERS, FOUR DREAMS, ONE STAGE
From the moment hoopers around the world first run their fingers across a basketball and look up at the rim, few things in all of sports hold the same mystique as one play does.
The dunk.
For four decades, AT&T Slam Dunk has turned that dream into a spectacle, blending power, athleticism and imagination into timeless moments – from Jordan’s free-throw line flyover to Vince’s “it’s over.”
Tonight during All-Star Saturday (5 ET, NBC & Peacock), the contest is set to crown a first-time champion, with four new participants looking to write their name into NBA history.
In the case of one dunker, tonight’s contest may reach back – and forward – at the same time.
- The First Year: Jase Richardson first dunked at 13. Now, the Magic rookie brings a 38-inch vertical, and a familiar last name, to All-Star Saturday
- The Former Champ: Jase’s father, Jason, once ruled this stage, winning back-to-back Slam Dunk titles in 2002 and ‘03 with two timeless performances
- The Stakes: A win tonight for Jase would make them the first father-son duo in NBA history to each win the Slam Dunk contest, with dad now helping from below the rim
- “It’s like the first time in 20 years he’s actually listening to what I had to say when it comes to basketball,” Jason joked. “So it’s actually pretty cool that he is asking me questions, coming up with a game plan.”
Jase wasn’t yet born when his father ruled AT&T Slam Dunk, but he grew up watching the event, and re-living the moments that defined it.
- “I remember watching the 2016 dunk contest, and I was just in awe,” Jase said. “I think somebody else who really stood out to me was Vince Carter… I feel like his dunk contest will always be special.”
For fellow contestants Jaxson Hayes and Carter Bryant – two other high-flyers making their first appearance – the dunk contest has lived in their imagination long before becoming reality.
- “I’ve always dreamed of being in the dunk contest,” said Hayes. “That’s something you do as a kid. I mean, obviously, like making it to the NBA, being an All-Star and stuff like that. But for me, I was always big into the dunk contest.”
- “As a kid, you always dream of being in a dunk contest,” added Bryant. “You see Mike walking out with the two chains and scrunch socks, and young Kobe flexing at the crowd…
- “It’s something the greats did, my favorite players, and now I get to do it too.”
Rounding out the field is Miami’s Keshad Johnson, whose leaping ability turned heads long before All-Star Saturday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expects he’ll pair that athleticism with some above-the-rim creativity.
- “We see it after practices, some of these dunks he does,” said Spoelstra of Johnson. “He can take off from the right inside the free-throw line. He can do a lot of trick dunks.”
Who will soar highest tonight?
2. STATE FARM 3-POINT CONTEST: MAKING THE CASE FOR ALL 8 SHARPSHOOTERS
But before AT&T Slam Dunk closes the door on All-Star Saturday, another iconic event gets the party started.
And while the former features a new field, State Farm 3-Point Contest (5 ET, NBC & Peacock) brings together a range of contestants battling for the crown — from rookies & first-timers, to multi-time All-Stars and previous 3-Point Contest champs.
Here’s a shooting fact for each competitor that could decide the night:
Tyrese Maxey: Ty has taken the most clutch 3s of the group (28), matching Jamal Murray with eight makes. Don’t be surprised to see him step back – he also leads the league this season with 148 deep 3s (25-29 feet).
Donovan Mitchell: Spida leads the NBA with 185 made 3s this season, knocking down a career-best 3.6 per game at a 37.6% clip.
Norman Powell: Powell could thrive in the 3-Point format as he leads this field with a 50.6 3P% when wide open (closest defender: 6+ feet away).
Jamal Murray: The Nuggets All-Star has the best unassisted 3P% (46.2) among these competitors, which could provide an edge when getting the ball from a rack instead of a teammate.
Devin Booker: Book is one of three participants from a top-10 3-point team (804 total 3s). Similar to Powell and Murray, the 2018 contest champ could have an advantage in the unique mechanics of shooting in this event.
“I can shoot off the rack pretty good,” Booker said this week.
Kon Knueppel: The rookie sensation is just two makes behind Mitchell for most 3s this season (183) and reached 100 career 3s faster than any player in NBA history. He also leads the field in catch-and-shoot 3s per game (2.5).
Bobby Portis: The Bucks spark plug leads this group in overall 3P% (45.1) and not from a smaller sample, as he’s taken 215 triples this season.
Damian Lillard: The two-time event champ is back to attempt a record-tying 3rd contest win despite missing this season while recovering from an Achilles injury. Only two players have ever won the competition three times: Craig Hodges and Larry Bird.
Who sets themself apart as the supreme shooter tonight?
3. KIA SHOOTING STARS: WHO HAS THE WINNING CONNECTION?
All-Star Saturday’s second contest brings basketball back to its playground roots like no other event.
Here’s how Kia Shooting Stars’ four teams – featuring current players and league legends, connected by All-Star teams, NBA cities, alma maters and family trees – can capture the crown:
- Seven Shot Series: In the opening round, each team will take a turn advancing through seven designated shooting spots on the floor with 1:10 on the clock
- The Money Maker: The final shooting spot, Shot No. 7, is a “logo-3” worth 4 points, with teams able to rack up as many makes there as possible before time expires
- For The Title: The two teams with the top first round scores advance to the championship round
So which team has the edge?
Team All-Star: All-Star Scottie Barnes sees no drop in FG% when moving out from 5-9 feet (42.6%) to 15-19 feet (50.8%), while Team USA Stars teammate Chet Holmgren (40.2%) and legend Rip Hamilton can shine from beyond 25 feet.
Team Cameron: Blue Devil faithful will look to 3-Point Contest contender Kon Knueppel to lead this squad featuring legend Corey Maggette, but first-time All-Star Jalen Johnson holds his own, shooting above 41% from all spots inside 19 feet.
Team Harper: NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner gives Ron and his sons Dylan and Ron Jr. the advantage tonight, noting the chemistry they’ve built “in driveways, playgrounds and gyms for most of the past two decades.”
Team Knicks: Teammates and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, along with legend Allan Houston, are the NBA.com writers’ consensus pick to win tonight.
Why? Brunson’s clutch gene (reigning Kia Clutch POY), Towns’ long-range prowess (he makes at least 1/3 of his shots from any spot), and Houston’s 2012 Shooting Stars victory.
So will it be the family, college or teammate connection that wins the day?
4. CASTROL RISING STARS: EDGECOMBE SHINES AS TEAM VINCE TAKES TITLE
Two single-elimination semifinals. One championship. One winner.
Friday’s Castrol Rising Stars format was simple. The league’s future stars made it special.
It started with a brother-on-brother winner.
Team Melo 40, Team Austin 34: In the opening semifinal, Carmelo Anthony’s squad closed on a 14-4 run to top Austin Rivers’ G League standouts in style.
Reed Sheppard (9 pts, 3 3s) sparked the swing with back-to-back treys, before Spurs rookie Dylan Harper finished it, dancing on his older brother and Kia Shooting Stars teammate, Ron Jr., to hit the target score of 40 with a clean game-winning fadeaway.
- Sophomore Shine: Donovan Clingan added 9 points for Team Melo, while last year’s Castrol Rising Stars MVP, Stephon Castle, posted 6 points and 5 dimes
Vince Carter’s squad also punched their ticket with a closing surge – but this one came from one man: VJ.
Team Vince 41, Team T-Mac 36: Up 31-29, Edgecombe erupted for his team’s final 10 points, sinking back-to-back triples and a soaring driving layup before calling game with a stepback dagger.
- Go VJ: Edgecombe, ranked 3rd on the Kia Rookie Ladder, finished with 17 points and 5 boards, while Cavs sophomore Jaylon Tyson led Team T-Mac (10 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast)
- Clutch Gene: Edgecombe’s takeover included a 3-of-4 mark from deep, continuing a season-long trend as he’s shooting 54.5% from 3 this season in the clutch
- His Postgame Mindset? “I’m trying to win.”
He wasn’t lying, and he wasn’t done.
Team Vince 25, Team Melo 24: In the first-to-25, winner-take-all championship, it was Edgecombe who said goodnight, flying through the paint for a putback layup to give Team Vince a 23-22 lead, then hitting two pressure-packed free throws to claim the crown. | Recap
- The Edge: Edgecombe led Team Vince with 6 points, 2 boards and 1 steal, finishing the night with 23 of his squad’s 66 total points (34.8%) and the Castrol Rising Stars MVP
- The Promise: “I told Vince when he picked me we were gonna win it,” said Edgecombe on the win. “And shoutout to my teammates.”
The Teammates: Matas Buzelis (10) and Jaylen Wells (10) combined for 20 points across both games, rookie Derik Queen led the squad in rebounds and AT&T Slam Dunk contestant Carter Bryant added 5 points in the championship.
- The Coach: As For Vince? The win was about what’s to come
- “We wanted to set the tone for the weekend,” said Carter on what he told his players. “And show everyone what they have, for the opportunity to play on All-Star Sunday sometime.”
5. RUFFLES CELEBRITY GAME: FLYNN, FALL & LIN LIFT TEAM GIANNIS
Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
An 8-point dagger? Linsanity!
NBA All-Star 2026 opened with the Ruffles Celebrity Game, which had it all, from mascot half-court traps to a back-to-back MVP.
Team Giannis 65, Team Anthony 58: With Giannis Antetokounmpo manning the sideline, Emmy-winning actor Rome Flynn got hot late, nailing three 3s en route to 17 points and his second straight MVP to lead Team Giannis past Anthony Anderson’s squad in a run full of stars. | Recap
- Flynn & Fall Showtime: Tacko Fall (20 pts, 21 reb) was also balling for Team Giannis, as he threw down a 360 slam, before Flynn found him for an off-the-backboard oop
- Lin’s 8-Pointer: Jeremy Lin hit the night’s biggest shot, splashing from beyond the Ruffles 4-point line during Team Giannis’ Double Time, where each bucket is worth 2x, to balloon a 2-point lead to 10 with 2:36 left
- The Double Time? Activated by Giannis: “I just coach and the players play,” he said on the decisive swing. “But it was definitely [me].”
The celebs went all out, and had fun doing it, from GloRilla and Taylor Frankie Paul hitting the deck to Chargers star wideout Keenan Allen showing off his athleticism.
- Major Key: Actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key brought the juice in pregame intros
- “That’s our ball!”: Allen had jokes too, referencing a former viral clip from another LA superstar
- Packed House: Rapper 2 Chainz soaked in the action courtside (and showed off his handles), while NBA All-Star Brandon Ingram showed love for GloRilla, even delivering a halftime pep talk
- Family Time: Giannis turned the bench into a family affair, adding some smaller “assistant coaches” to his staff