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Upcoming NBA All-Star Game dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
The NBA's midseason showcase and where it goes next
The NBA All-Star Game is the league's annual exhibition of its top players, played on a Sunday night in mid-February as the finale of NBA All-Star Weekend. Since 2022 it has been held on the third Sunday of February. The next edition is set for Phoenix in 2027, at Mortgage Matchup Center, the downtown arena of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. The league announced Phoenix as the 2027 host on March 7, 2024.
The host changes every year, and the league picks it well in advance. Recent and upcoming sites show the pattern:
- 2026: Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on February 15, 2026, the first All-Star Game the LA Clippers hosted without a co-host.
- 2027: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, an arena that opened in 1992 as America West Arena and has carried five other names since, most recently Footprint Center from 2021 to 2025.
The weekend falls during the All-Star break, a pause in the regular season that comes right after the trade deadline, so no other NBA games compete for attention that weekend.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: what each night covers
All-Star Weekend is a three-day program, and each night is usually a separate ticketed event. Buying a Sunday seat does not get you into Saturday's contests.
- Friday: the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (retired players, WNBA players, entertainers and athletes from other sports, first held in 2003) and the Rising Stars Challenge (first- and second-year NBA players plus NBA G League prospects).
- Saturday: All-Star Saturday Night, with the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest. The Shooting Stars competition, held from 2004 to 2015, returned in 2026 in place of the Skills Challenge.
- Sunday: the All-Star Game itself.
The events do not always share a building. In 2026, the Celebrity Game was played at the Kia Forum in Inglewood while the main game was at Intuit Dome. Check which venue each ticket is for before you book a hotel based on location.
How the game itself is played now
The format has changed often, so expect the details to shift again. Rosters are 24 All-Stars. Starters are chosen by a weighted vote (fans 50%, current players 25% and media 25%), and head coaches vote for the reserves, though they cannot pick their own players. The commissioner names injury replacements.
- Through 2017: East against West, with conference rosters.
- 2018 to 2023: the top vote-getter in each conference acted as a captain and drafted teams regardless of conference. From 2020, the fourth quarter used the Elam Ending (an untimed finish in which the first team to reach a target score wins).
- 2024: a return to East against West.
- 2025: a four-team mini-tournament, with games played to 40 points, including the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge.
- 2026: a three-team round robin of two U.S. teams and one international "World" team, with 12-minute games and a championship game between the top two. The USA Stars beat the USA Stripes in the final, and Anthony Edwards was named MVP.
What stays constant is the production: player introductions with lighting, DJs, portable stages and pyrotechnics, anthem performances before tipoff and a longer halftime with a musical act. Defensive effort is limited until a game gets close, so scores run far higher than in a regular-season game. If you want a competitive finish, the newer short-game formats deliver more of them than the old four-quarter game did.
Tickets: a small supply for a national event
There is no season-ticket route to the All-Star Game for most fans. For 2026, the league's All-Star site directed buyers to NBATickets.com, with Ticketmaster named as its ticketing partner. Much of the public's access comes through the resale market, where prices are set by demand rather than face value.
Supply is the key fact for 2027. Mortgage Matchup Center seats about 17,071 for basketball, fewer than the 18,300 Intuit Dome holds for basketball, and an All-Star Game draws a national audience into that one building. A few structural patterns help:
- Sunday carries the most demand, since it is the only night with the full roster of All-Stars on the floor.
- Saturday is the value play for many fans, because the dunk and three-point contests are short, easy to follow and fill the same arena.
- Friday is usually the easiest entry, and suits families or anyone who wants the arena experience without the Sunday premium.
- Roster news moves the market. Starter announcements in January, reserve announcements in early February and injury replacements in the final week all shift interest.
Every order on GoodSeats is backed by a 100% guarantee, which matters when buying resale for an event of this profile.
Where to sit for All-Star Weekend
The normal rules for an NBA arena apply, with a few changes for an exhibition built around a TV production.
- Lower-bowl sideline: the best overall view of the game and the introductions, and the seats that hold the most value.
- Behind the baskets: closer to the dunk contest action on Saturday, since most dunks are attempted at the rim in front of you, but a flatter view of half-court play on Sunday.
- Upper level at center court: the most practical way into a small arena. You see the whole floor, the pregame staging and the halftime show without the courtside premium.
- Courtside and the first rows: these draw the most attention from celebrities, guests and broadcast crews, so expect few of them on the open market and the steepest premiums when they appear.
Staging for introductions and halftime can occupy part of the floor or the baseline. If a listing notes a limited or obstructed view, take it seriously at this event.
Planning an All-Star trip to Phoenix
Mortgage Matchup Center sits at 201 East Jefferson Street in downtown Phoenix, with the Valley Metro Rail stops at 3rd Street/Jefferson (eastbound) and 3rd Street/Washington (westbound) a short walk away. That makes it practical to stay along the rail line rather than next to the arena. All-Star Weekend brings fan events, parties and media across the host city, and hotels near the arena fill early.
- Arrive early on Sunday. The pregame production starts before tipoff, and security lines at a sold-out arena move slowly.
- Check the bag policy. Each NBA arena sets its own bag rules, and many limit bag size. Check the arena's current policy before you go, since special events can add restrictions.
- Plan for late nights. In 2026 the games started at 5 p.m. Eastern to fit around the Winter Olympics on NBC; start times shift with the broadcast schedule.
For the arena itself, see the NBA All-Star site for official event schedules as they are released.
From a 1951 gamble to a February festival
The idea came from NBA president Maurice Podoloff, publicity director Haskell Cohen and Boston Celtics owner Walter A. Brown, who wanted to win back fans after the college basketball point-shaving scandal. Brown offered to host and cover any losses. The first game, at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951, drew 10,094 fans, far above that season's average crowd of about 3,500, and the East won 111–94.
- Biggest crowd: 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in 2010, a record for a basketball game.
- The relocated game: the 2017 game moved from Charlotte to New Orleans after North Carolina's House Bill 2; Charlotte hosted in 2019 instead.
- Halftime shows: the first musical halftime came in 2000.
- Never hosted: Portland and Memphis are the only franchises that have never hosted an All-Star Game.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is the 2027 NBA All-Star Game?
Phoenix hosts the 2027 game at Mortgage Matchup Center, home of the Phoenix Suns. The game is traditionally played on the third Sunday of February, with All-Star Weekend running Friday to Sunday.
Does an All-Star Game ticket include the dunk contest?
Usually not. Friday's events, All-Star Saturday Night and the Sunday game are typically ticketed separately, and in some years the events are held in different venues.
How many people does the 2027 All-Star arena hold?
Mortgage Matchup Center seats about 17,071 for basketball, which keeps the supply of seats tight for a national event.
What is the All-Star Game format?
It changes often. The 2026 game was a three-team round robin with two U.S. teams and a World team, playing 12-minute games before a championship game. Check the league's announcement for the current year.
Who picks the All-Stars?
Starters are chosen by fans (50%), current players (25%) and media (25%). Head coaches vote for the reserves and cannot pick their own players, and the commissioner names injury replacements.
Where is the best place to sit for All-Star Saturday?
Seats behind the baskets put you closest to dunk attempts, while center-court seats in the lower or upper level give the best view of the three-point contest and the overall staging.