Team Vince defeated Team Melo 94-92 Friday night in the Rising Stars Challenge, kicking off NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 in Los Angeles. The game, played at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, marked the first event of the weekend, which culminates in the 75th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, also at Intuit Dome.
The Rising Stars game featured a new tournament format, with two teams of U.S. Players competing against a team comprised of international players. The format involved a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games. Team A faced Team B in the opening game, with the winner advancing to play Team C. The losing team from the first game also faced Team C, and the top two teams then competed in a championship game.
Friday’s festivities also included a celebrity game at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, and a men’s basketball classic between Hampton University and North Carolina A&T University, also held at the Kia Forum.
Saturday will showcase the popular 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest, alongside the return of the Shooting Stars competition. Four NBA alumni – Richard Hamilton, Allan Houston, Corey Maggette, and Ron Harper Sr. – are scheduled to participate in the Shooting Stars event.
The All-Star Game on Sunday will be a seventh iteration of the contest held in Los Angeles, with the city last hosting the event in 2018. The game will pit teams of U.S. Players against a team of international stars.
