When the 2026 NBA All-Star Game takes place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, plenty of stars will be on display, both in the starting lineup and coming off the bench.
Following the announcement of the reserves, a four-time NBA champion has raised questions and concerns about how the new USA vs. World All-Star format may have affected the selection process.
NBA All-Star Reserves Selection Comes Under Scrutiny
On Monday, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green addressed the selections on “The Draymond Green Show.” Green pointed out that Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was not chosen.
“I wonder, look, if the voting somehow was impacted by the format of the game,” Green said. “And the reason I wondered that (is) because it’s baffling to me that Brandon Ingram’s not in the All-Star Game. Baffling. Very shocked that Brandon Ingram is not in the All-Star Game. Just don’t quite understand.”
Ingram, a former first-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Duke, is averaging 21.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game during the 2025–26 NBA season. He is also shooting 47.0% from the field. The Raptors are currently 30-21 on the season in the NBA’s Atlantic Division, two games behind the division-leading Celtics and New York Knicks.
Green said he was surprised Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, a Cameroonian, made the cut despite the team owning the worst record in the Eastern Conference. While he acknowledged that some players from struggling teams can still be All-Stars, he suggested the league’s format may have played a role in how the reserves were chosen.
“I’m a huge fan of Pascal Siakam’s game. I think Pascal Siakam is a great player,” Green said. “And, you know, I’ve been in this league quite a while, so I remember the days of DeMarcus Cousins being on a bad Sacramento team … not making the All-Star team. Or Bradley Beal leading the league averaging (in scoring) and not making the All-Star team. And I really just be wondering, what’s the criteria? Like, sometimes winning does matter, sometimes winning doesn’t matter.
“Is it affected by the World-USA thing because it just doesn’t make sense to me that Brandon Ingram isn’t on here. I’m very, very, very shocked by that one.”
Draymond Green said it’s “baffling that Brandon Ingram didn’t make the all star team. And proceeds to question if it was affected by the US and World team format.
(Via/@DraymondShow) pic.twitter.com/wUgMWnhBOm
— gotsebon ❄️ (@gotsebon) February 2, 2026
In this year’s All-Star game, two teams of American players and one international squad (called the World team) will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each roster will include at least eight players.
In the round-robin, Team A faces Team B in Game 1. The winner advances to meet Team C in Game 2, while the loser of Game 1 takes on Team C in Game 3.
After Game 3, the two teams with the best records move on to the championship.
