The 2027 NBA All-Star Game is the 76th edition of the league’s showpiece exhibition, held on Sunday 21 February 2027 as the centrepiece of NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. The game brings together the best players from the Eastern and Western Conferences and closes a three-day celebration of basketball that also includes the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night, plus the Rising Stars game on Friday evening. Phoenix hosts All-Star Weekend for the third time, with the event taking place at Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns.
What is the NBA All-Star Game?
The NBA All-Star Game is the annual exhibition match between the top players in the National Basketball Association, typically split by Eastern and Western Conference or by team captains drafting their squads. Players are selected through a combination of fan voting, player voting, media voting and coaching selections, with starters chosen separately from reserves. The game is the centrepiece of All-Star Weekend, which has grown from a single showcase match into a multi-day festival of events.
The NBA has experimented with several formats over the years, including a traditional East v West matchup, a captain’s draft picked by the leading vote-getters, and a tournament-style mini competition between four teams. The MVP award is given to the player judged the best performer in the main game, with recent winners including Karl-Anthony Towns, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry.
When is the NBA All-Star Game 2027?
The 2027 NBA All-Star Game is played on Sunday 21 February 2027, the final night of All-Star Weekend. Tip-off is scheduled for 8pm Eastern Time (6pm local Mountain Time in Phoenix), which converts to 1am GMT on Monday 22 February in the UK. The Rising Stars game takes place on Friday 19 February and All-Star Saturday Night on 20 February, with the Three-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest and Skills Challenge decided on the Saturday.
Where is the NBA All-Star Game 2027?
Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, Arizona hosts the All-Star Game. The arena opened in 1992 and is home to the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and Phoenix Mercury (WNBA). It has a basketball capacity of around 17,000 and has hosted major events including previous All-Star Weekends in 1995 and 2009. The arena is centrally located within Phoenix’s downtown sports district, close to Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks) and just over an hour’s drive from Scottsdale. Phoenix has a well-established reputation for staging February sporting events thanks to the Arizona winter climate.
Key Contenders
Recent All-Star selections have featured a mix of established superstars and rising talents. Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry are among the names recurring on All-Star rosters. The Phoenix All-Star Game provides a rare opportunity for local hero Devin Booker and the Suns to showcase their franchise on home floor. Selection is based on the first half of the 2026-27 season, with reserves chosen by conference coaches.
How to Watch
In the United States, the NBA All-Star Game is broadcast live on TNT, with pre-game and post-game coverage across the Inside the NBA studio team. Starting from the 2025-26 season, NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video join ESPN and TNT as NBA broadcast partners under the league’s new media deal, with rotating All-Star Game coverage likely. In the UK, Sky Sports carries NBA coverage including All-Star Weekend. In Canada, TSN and Sportsnet share the broadcast. NBA League Pass streams internationally, and ESPN Deportes carries Spanish-language coverage.
History and Records
The first NBA All-Star Game was played on 2 March 1951 at Boston Garden, when the East beat the West 111-94. LeBron James holds the record for most All-Star Game selections with 20 appearances, followed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 19. Kobe Bryant and Bob Pettit jointly hold the record for most All-Star Game MVP awards with four each, and James’s all-time points-scoring tally at the game sits above 400 points. Phoenix previously hosted All-Star Weekend in 2009, when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant shared MVP honours in a Western Conference win.
Tickets and Attendance
Tickets for NBA All-Star Weekend are sold through the league’s official partners and via Ticketmaster, with on-sale typically opening in the autumn before the event. All-Star Sunday tickets are the most expensive and sought-after, with face value ranging from around 500 US dollars for upper-bowl seats to several thousand for premium courtside locations. All-Star Saturday Night has a separate ticket, as does Friday’s Rising Stars and Celebrity Game. Hospitality packages are offered through the NBA’s official partners including On Location.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the NBA All-Star Game 2027?
Sunday 21 February 2027, with tip-off scheduled for 8pm Eastern Time.
Where is the NBA All-Star Game 2027 being held?
Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Phoenix Suns.
How can I watch the NBA All-Star Game?
On TNT or NBC Sports in the United States, Sky Sports in the UK and NBA League Pass internationally.
Who won the last NBA All-Star Game?
The winners of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, held in Los Angeles at Intuit Dome in February 2026, enter the 2027 edition as the most recent champions.