"Just go back to East vs. West" - NBA fans react as All-Star format expected to continue in 2026, while pitting USA vs. International stars

Once again, the NBA's All-Star weekend made the rounds for the wrong reasons. Fans took to social media to complain about all of the events, stating that the players didn't take them seriously enough.

Others complained about the new format, mostly because it had several stoppages and it was hard to keep up with what was going on.

Now, a report by the Sports Business Journal states that the league might want to switch things up again. This time, they might consider featuring an 'All-Snub' team, an international All-Stars team and two US-born All-Star teams.

However, fans on X didn't find this proposition appealing at all, and they would rather the league go back to the classic format instead:

"Lmao next year we gonna have a team that is the snubs from the snubbed team," one fan said.

"less ads/ breaks and this concept would actually be great," another one added.

"So now people who DIDNT make the all star team gonna play on Sunday …. Just invite the whole league yeah?" A fan chimed in.

"It was so bad. Just go back to East vs west. Give the players incentives for defense and if they win. Give a 2 million bonus to the MVP," another one proposed.

"They should go all-in like the NHL. Don't allow NBA players to play in the Olympics. Make the NBA all-star tournament the premier international tournament every year. What does the NBA gain allowing their players under contract to participate for international teams every summer?" A fan asked.

Who could play in the International All-Star team?

The league has seen a massive influx of international talent over the past decade or so, and it's clear that they have more than enough players to field a competitive international team.

Per the Sports Business Journal, the international All-Star team could look something like that:

"Sources said one possibility for 2026 is a four-team tournament consisting of one squad of International All-Stars, which would conceivably be Antetokounmpo, Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Luca Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam and Kyrie Irving (who will have Australian citizenship)," read the report.

Of course, the league will also have to figure out a selection process, since the fans might have to vote for US-born and international players now.

Hopefully, whatever they decide to do will bring competitiveness and excitement back to the All-Star weekend and appease the fans after years of complaints.