NBA All-Star 2026: Pick Western Conference starters

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For the seventh consecutive year, the NBA asked me if I would be one of the media members voting on which players should start in the NBA All-Star Game. For incomprehensible reasons, I said yes. Here’s how I used my ballot.

A quick reminder: Yes, the NBA has changed the format of the All-Star Game once again, this time to a round-robin tournament with two teams of American players and a “world” roster, resulting in 16 U.S.-born players and eight international players being selected… unless the voting yields results less fewer than 16 U.S.-born players or eight international players who will be selected, in which case NBA commissioner Adam Silver will simply begin naming American or international players to balance the sides. (Do you find all this confusing? You’re not alone!)

Announcement

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

If you’re reading this, I guess I don’t have to burn too many calories to convince you that Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić — the top two finishers in Most Valuable Player voting in each of the last two seasons, and potentially the top two this season, barring eligibility issues — deserved an early vote.

Gilgeous-Alexander returned after winning his first MVP trophy and NBA championship, seemingly better at everything. He’s second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.9 points per game on sparkling 55/39/89 shooting times, producing points more efficiently and turning the ball over less as the primary engine of a Thunder team that opened the season 24-1 and that — despite what qualifies as a “slump” in OKC these days — remains atop the West, to the tune of 68 wins (and the point differential of a 70-win team). With SGA on the court, the Thunder blew opponents’ doors off by 16.5 points per 100 possessions — the largest margin of any player in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Before hyperextending his left knee, Jokić got off to the best possible start his career. And when you’ve already won three MVPs, Manthat really says a lot.

Jokić is fifth in the NBA in scoring with 29.8 points per game first league-leading in rebounds and assists; he is 12 years old total points away from being on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. On a per-minute and per-possession basis, Jokić has never scored more, thanks in part to the fact that he’s making 43.5 percent of the 4.8 3-pointers he attempts per game, both of which would be career highs.

He’s on pace to record the highest true shooting percentage in NBA history among players who use at least 25 percent of their team’s offensive possessions, surpassing… himself. He is also on pace to set new all-time records in win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, and to become the seventh player overall to assist on more than half of his teammates’ baskets; the Nuggets scored an absurd goal 130.1 points per 100 non-garbage possessions in his minutes, which is light years beyond what even the best offenses in league history have mustered. Lost games be damned: the list of players who have had a more consistent and pronounced impact on the pitch than Jokić this season is either one name long or non-existent. An easy choice.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

So too was Wembanyama, the linchpin of the Spurs’ rise to third place in the West and – by virtue of eliminating defending champion Oklahoma City three times in four tries and reaching the NBA Cup championship game – a place among the ranks of bona fide title contenders.

Announcement

Some voters may feel more compelled to eliminate Wemby from a starting job because of his injury absences: Thanks to an early-season calf strain, followed by a knee hyperextension that landed him on a minutes restriction, he has played just 26 games and 753 minutes, well below other serious candidates for starting jobs. I heard it. I also don’t really care.

I intend, Come on: Dude is averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game on 51.4 percent shooting at age 22 — no one has done that since Kareem, 56 years ago — and also profiles as the most threatening defensive force on the planet.

There’s plenty of credit for San Antonio’s rise in the standings: to Stephon Castle, who made a huge leap in his sophomore year; to De’Aaron Fox, who reminds everyone exactly why the Spurs went out, got him and paid him; to a roster full of guys (Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie) who star in their roles; to coach Mitch Johnson, who ably bears the burden of carrying the mantle left to him by one of the greatest legends the coaching profession has ever seen; etc. It all starts with the man in the middle, though – and 750 minutes of what he recorded was more than enough to earn my vote.

Luka Doncic, Lakers

Dončić, for his part, leads the NBA in scoring with 33.4 points per game on .606 true shooting, plus 8.8 assists (fourth in the league) and 7.9 rebounds per night: the star guard leading a Lakers team that is vying for a top-four finish in a tough-as-nails West.

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There are problems with these Lakers, who are playing 10 games over .500 despite being right plus-1 for the season – not even a point every 100 possessions; one point period — and they outperformed their point differential and 23rd-ranked defense, thanks in large part to an NBA-best 13-1 mark in “clutch” games. But LA wins thanks to its offense, which is seventh in points scored per ball possession and is at its best with Luka leading the charge: the Lakers scored like the Thunder with him on the ground and like the Pelicans with him out.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

The fifth starting spot came to a handful of strong candidates in the midst of excellent seasons. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün have kept the Houston Rockets in the top five offensively AND defensive efficiency and looking for a top-four spot in the West, despite the preseason loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Despite the ongoing investigation into salary cap dodging, Kawhi Leonard has been rested for nearly two months — 30.1 points on 50/40/93 shooting with 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.1 stocks per game since Thanksgiving — to transform the previously lifeless Clippers into one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Out in the Bay, Curry is scoring as much per minute and per possession as he did during his unanimous MVP season a decade ago, and doing so with characteristically incredible shooting efficiency for a Warriors team that, as always, only goes as far as it can take it.

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Ultimately, though, I turned to Edwards, in recognition of both his role in fueling Minnesota’s climb up the standings — just one game out of second place in the West entering Thursday’s games, with the NBA’s best record and fourth-best net rating since Thanksgiving — and his sparkling individual production.

Edwards’ impressive streak in increasing his point volume AND efficiency in every year of his career has continued. He averaged a career-best 28.9 points per game on .626 true shooting, a combination of volume and efficiency that represents incredibly rare air among NBA scorers — while reducing his turnover rate despite serving as Chris Finch’s point guard more often, getting to the free throw line more often and continuing to play a key role on the ball on a Minnesota defense that ranks fifth in points allowed per possession.

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He was also a real nailer in critical moments – an area of concern for Minnesota in recent years – shooting at point-blank range 70.7% from the field (29 of 41), 57.1% from long range (8 of 14), and 83.3% from the foul line (10 of 12) when the score is within five points in the final five minutes:

The two-way game, the growth as a facilitator, the continued increase in his scoring and efficiency and that close-and-finishing excellence — all in the service of keeping the Wolves in the hunt in the West — earned Edwards the last spot on my ballot.