Honestly, the NBA All Star Skills Competition used to be the highlight of my Saturday night. Back in the early 2000s, watching Jason Kidd or Steve Nash zip through those oversized pylon obstacles felt like watching a masterclass in the fundamentals we were all supposed to be practicing in middle school. It was simple. It was fast. It was competitive.
Now? It’s kinda a mess.
If you tuned into the 2025 event at the Chase Center in San Francisco, you saw exactly why people are starting to check out. We had four teams of two—a format change that seems to happen every single season now—and the whole thing felt more like a corporate team-building exercise than a display of elite athleticism. The "highlight," if you can even call it that, was the San Antonio Spurs duo of Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul getting themselves disqualified.
What Actually Happened with the Spurs?
You’ve gotta see the irony here. You have arguably the greatest passing point guard ever in CP3 and a literal alien in Wemby, and they get booted for trying to "hack" the system. Basically, the rules allowed for three shot attempts per spot. Instead of actually trying to make the shots during the relay, they just tossed the balls aside to finish the course faster.
The crowd hated it. They booed. The officials, realizing the spirit of the competition was being treated like a joke, disqualified them with an official time of 3:00. It was awkward. It was weird. And it paved the way for Team Cavs—Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley—to walk away as the 2025 champions.
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The Evolution (or De-evolution) of the NBA All Star Skills Competition
The league is obsessed with fixing things that aren't necessarily broken. Since 2003, the format has shifted more times than a journeyman's jersey collection.
- The Individual Era (2003–2021): This was the gold standard. One player, one course, one winner. We saw the "Big Men Revolution" in 2016 when Karl-Anthony Towns proved centers could dribble and shoot too, ending the guard-only era.
- The Team Era (2022–2024): The NBA switched to three-man teams. We had Team Rooks, Team Cavs, and the infamous Team Antetokounmpo. This introduced a "Challenge Points" system that was basically as confusing as tax codes.
- The Duo Era (2025–Present): Now we're at teams of two. It feels like they're trying to find a middle ground, but the stakes just don't feel the same when you're sharing a trophy.
The 2026 iteration is already generating buzz because the league is desperate to regain fan trust. Rumors from league insiders suggest we might see more "interactive" elements on the LED court that premiered in Indianapolis. Think live player tracking and animations that react to the ball. It sounds cool on paper, but if the actual "skills" aren't there, no amount of flashy lights will save it.
Why the Host Team Always (Usually) Wins
There was a weird trend for a while. Team Cavs won in Cleveland (2022), Team Jazz won in Salt Lake City (2023), and Team Pacers won in Indy (2024). Fans were calling it rigged.
However, that streak officially died in 2025. Even with the home-court advantage at the Chase Center, Team Warriors (Draymond Green and Moses Moody) couldn't keep up with the Cleveland duo. Mitchell and Mobley finished the final round in about 60 seconds flat. Evan Mobley is quietly becoming the GOAT of this specific event, having won it twice now (2022 and 2025).
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Does Anyone Still Care?
Social media reaction to the NBA All Star Skills Competition has been... let's say, brutal.
"I can't believe the NBA still does the skills challenge every year it gets more embarrassing," one fan posted during the 2025 broadcast.
The main gripe? It’s too easy. These are the best players in the world. Watching them miss a chest pass into a stationary target three times in a row isn't "elite"—it’s frustrating.
But there’s still value here. For younger fans, seeing the "positionless" nature of the modern game is fascinating. When you see a 7-foot-4 Wembanyama handling the rock like a point guard (even when he's trying to cheat the clock), it shows how much the sport has changed.
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Looking Ahead to 2026
As we move toward the 2026 All-Star Weekend, expect the league to lean heavily into the "International vs. USA" narrative. With stars like Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokić dominating the league, the Skills Challenge might be the perfect place to settle the "who is more skilled" debate once and for all.
If they want to save the event, they need to:
- Bring back the head-to-head racing. The "team relay" where players go one at a time is a snooze. We want to see two guys sprinting down the court simultaneously.
- Increase the difficulty. Make the shots harder. Use moving targets that actually move fast.
- Stop changing the rules every 12 months. Let the fans learn the format so they can actually care about the records.
The NBA All Star Skills Competition isn't dead yet, but it’s definitely on life support. Whether it's the "Wemby Effect" or just a need for better execution, the 2026 event in Southern California needs to be a hit.
If you're planning on watching next year, pay attention to the roster announcements in late January. The league usually tries to pair up teammates or "rivals" to create some sort of storyline. If we get a "Battle of the Bigs" or a "Point God" showdown, it might actually be worth the two hours of your life. Otherwise, you might be better off just catching the 15-second highlight of the one cool pass on Twitter the next morning.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Watch the odds: The "Host Team" boost is real for the fans, but as the Warriors proved in '25, it’s not a guarantee for the win anymore.
- Check the format early: The NBA typically drops the official "Challenge Points" breakdown on their app about 48 hours before the event. Read it, or you'll be lost by the second round.
- Follow the "Bigs": Since 2016, frontcourt players have consistently overperformed in this event. Don't automatically bet on the flashy guards to sweep the shooting rounds.