The NBA finally fixed the All-Star Game. At least on paper. Viewership jumped 87 percent. Fans praised the USA vs World format. The competition looked tighter than it had in years.

Yet one former All-Star watched the same night and saw proof of a different problem. Gilbert Arenas said the format didn’t fail because of rules or scoring. He believes it failed because the biggest international stars never truly treated it like a real game.

“People have these narratives that they want to push on social media every chance they get. It didn’t work. Why? The Euros don’t play hard either.” That criticism landed directly on players like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic after Team World went winless in the 2026 event.

The new format featured three teams: USA Stars, USA Stripes and Team World. They played a round-robin of 12-minute games before the top two advanced to the final. Both advancing teams were American.

Team World, filled with elite talent including Jokic and Doncic, lost twice and never reached the championship. The defeats were close, but the outcome reinforced Arenas’ pre-event stance that top international players prioritize recovery over exhibition intensity.

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“If you’re a European and you lead your team in scoring, rebound, assists, blocks, deflection, everything. It’s your team. You’re not going to waste the rest of your energy on the All-Star game.” Because of that, Arenas argued the issue isn’t nationality. It is responsibility. Franchise centerpieces conserve energy during a midseason break, no matter how global the matchup sounds.

Why Arenas expected it

Arenas had raised the concern weeks earlier while criticizing the USA vs World concept. In his view, expanding international representation changes selection pressure without changing effort level.

“The most Euro players, 4 or 5 every years make it. Now 8 has to make it that means it’s going to be 3 players don’t make this team that is going to be put on the team with the worst record, just averaging 23 that makes it to the All-Star game.”

His argument came with historical contrast. International players have dominated MVP races for years, including Jokic and others, yet Arenas believes All-Star weekend demands a different kind of legacy performance, similar to the competitive reputations built by past greats he referenced like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

So when Team World failed to win a single game, Arenas saw validation rather than coincidence.

Ironically, the league still achieved its goal. The format boosted ratings to 8.8 million viewers and produced competitive matchups, capped by the USA Stars winning the tournament behind MVP Anthony Edwards.

However, the night created two separate truths. The NBA proved fans will watch a competitive format again. Arenas believes stars still will not treat it competitively. That tension matters moving forward. The league can redesign structure, scoring and teams, but player mindset may remain unchanged.

If future All-Star Games keep the global format, the real challenge won’t be inventing new rules. It will be convincing franchise superstars that one night in February deserves playoff-level effort.