The NBA All-Star Game is officially back. After years of embarrassing efforts, even by exhibition game standards, the players finally delivered a showcase that they, and the league, can be proud of — even if the championship game of the new Team USA vs. Team World format was a bit of a dud. 

The USA Stars, the younger roster of American All-Stars, destroyed Team Stripes, to more veteran American group, 47-21, in the championship to lift the trophy after a thrilling round-robin series. Anthony Edwards, who poured in 32 points across Team Stars’ three games, was named MVP, becoming the first Minnesota Timberwolves player to earn the honor since Kevin Garnett in 2003. 

After a fun night of action inside the Intuit Dome, here’s a look at the winners and losers from the 2026 All-Star Game. 

Winner: Victor Wembanyama

In the lead up to Sunday’s showcase, the French phenom made it clear that he was not happy with what the event had turned into in recent years, and was going to do his best to change it. 

“I want to push the great players of this sport to play in the All-Star game just as hard as I will,” Wembanyama said in January. “We’ll see how it goes, but if they don’t play hard, I’ll do it without them.”

He expanded on those thoughts on Saturday. “Exclamation-point plays, playing in a solid manner and sharing the ball with energy,” Wembanyama said, when asked how he planned to set a competitive tone. “If you share that energy, people feel like they have a responsibility to share it back to you.”

Wembanyama walked the walk right from the opening tip of the first game. Within the first two minutes, he threw down a huge slam, scored the first seven points for Team World and swatted a Jalen Duren attempt into the crowd. When Team World lost the opener in overtime because of a bad defensive rotation, he threw his hands up and stormed off the court like he had just lost a playoff game. 

Everyone else followed suit. 

“I ain’t gonna lie, Wemby set the tone,” Anthony Edwards said. “He came out and played hard, so it’s hard not to match that.” 

Winner: The NBA

Between all of the tanking discourse, some of Adam Silver’s comments during his Saturday press conference and a disastrous All-Star Saturday Night, the league was facing more public criticism than it had in a long time. As an entity, the last thing the NBA needed was another lifeless All-Star Game. 

Instead, the players delivered the most memorable mid-season showcase since 2020, and one of the most competitive events ever. 

The first three games of the round robin format were awesome and all went down to the wire. 

• Team Stars defeated Team World in overtime of Game 1 on a game-ending 3-pointer by Scottie Barnes
• Team Stripes defeated Team Stars in Game 2 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by De’Aaron Fox
• Team Stripes defeated Team World in Game 3 on a last-second 3-pointer by Kawhi Leonard

The championship turned into a rout, as the much younger Team Stars cruised past the veteran-filled Team Stripes, who seemed to be out of gas. The last few minutes of that contest looked a lot like the previous All-Star Games. But even though the night ended on a low, the overall product was much better than anyone expected, and spared the league another wave of criticism. 

Loser: The championship game

As mentioned, the new All-Star Game format pitting the best American players against the best international players was working to perfection through the round robin format, thanks to a big assist from Wembanyama. 

The two American squads, Team Stars and Team Stripes, advanced to the championship, and everything was set up for a thrilling conclusion to the best All-Star Game in years. So, of course, we got a blowout. 

The younger Team Stars had way more juice left in their legs, and they jumped out to an early double-digit lead. Team Stripes briefly gave itself some hope with back-to-back 3s from LeBron James and Jalen Brunson to cut the deficit down to nine with seven minutes to play, but never got closer. 

While the night was an overall success, the way it ended was definitely a bummer. 

Winner: Kawhi Leonard

Leonard has had a strange six months. 

During the offseason, Leonard was the subject of an investigative report by Pablo Torre that alleged the Clippers star had received $28 million via a fradulent marketing agreement that allowed his team to circumvent the salary cap. The NBA’s investigation into the matter has not yet concluded. 

Shortly after the season got underway, Leonard was forced to the sidelines for nearly three weeks with ankle and foot sprains. The Clippers went 2-8 without him, part of a disastrous start to the season for the team, which was expecting to get back to the playoffs. 

A few days before Christmas, Leonard began one of the best stretches of his career, which included three 40-point outings in the span of five games, including a career-high 55 points in a win over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. The hot streak kicked off a stunning turnaround for the Clippers, who went from 6-21 to 26-28 in the span of two months to climb into Play-In Tournament position in the Western Conference. 

Despite an incredible last few weeks, Leonard wasn’t initially named to the game, but eventually made it as an injury replacement. He proved to be a wise pick by Silver, and put on an incredible show in front of the Clippers fans on Sunday, as he helped Team Stripes reach the championship game. In Game 3 of the round-robin format, Leonard poured in 31 of Team Stripes’ 48 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 6-of-7 effort from 3-point range, and hit a game-winning triple over Karl-Anthony Towns (more on that later) in the closing seconds. 

Leonard’s 12-minute bonanza was one of the best parts of the night, and was yet another reminder that when he’s healthy, there are few better players in the world. 

“It was great. Happy that Adam [Silver] let me in. That’s what the home crowd wanted to see. I’m glad I was able to do something in that game,” Leonard said. 

Winner: Anthony Edwards

Earlier this weekend, Edwards was blunt when asked for his thoughts on the state of the All-Star Game (“It is what it is at this point”) and whether the new format would make a difference (“No”). 

But by the end of the first game, Edwards had changed his tune. 

“I ain’t gonna lie, Wemby set the tone,” Edwards said. “He came out and played hard, so it’s hard not to match that.” 

Edwards can at times appear aloof and “too cool for school” during press conferences, but on the court he’s one of the league’s most fierce competitors. It’s unlikely that he went into Sunday night with a plan to play hard, but once Wembanyama had laid down a marker, he couldn’t help but respond. 

“Yeah, [Wembanyama] set the tone, man, and it woke me up, for sure,” Edwards added after the game. 

Edwards had 13 points in Game 1, 11 points in Game 2 and eight points in the championship, for a total of 32 on the night, and was named All-Star MVP for his efforts. 

Loser: Karl-Anthony Towns

Towns spends all season hearing about his defensive deficiencies, and how they might prevent the New York Knicks from winning a championship. All-Star Weekend is supposed to be a respite from that sort of talk, but somehow Towns found himself on the receiving end of even more criticism. 

Game 1 between Team World and Team Stars went to overtime, and instead of putting any time on the clock, a winning score of five points was set. Team World was up 3-2, and should have been playing a no-3s defense, but Towns for some reason rotated into the paint to try and stop Jalen Duren, which left Scottie Barnes wide open from behind the arc. Duren found Barnes for the game-winning shot. 

In Game 3 between Team World and Team Stripes, the score was tied in the closing seconds when Towns got switched onto Leonard. Towns actually played pretty good defense, but Leonard drained a game-winning 3 right in his face. 

Poor Towns. The first time anyone has been expected to show any sort of effort on that end of the floor in the All-Star Game and he immediately finds himself on a defensive lowlight reel.

The 2026 NFL Draft Combine is about one week away, but we asked VikingsTerritory writers to identify one “draft crush” apiece before the party gets started. Our contributors could pick any player from any round — here’s what they came up with.

Vikings draft season is already warming up, and a few early names feel like clean fits based on talent and long-term trajectory.

The Vikings will have at least nine draft picks in 2026, much more than last year when the cupboard was barren.

Eight Names We Want for Minnesota’s 2026 Draft Board

Our dream fits for the purple team.

1. Pat Coogan | Center, Indiana
Crush Holer: Sean Borman

Watch this guy’s playoff tape, then tell me you don’t like watching offensive linemen play football.

2. Malachi Fields | WR, Notre Dame
Crush Holder: Brevan Bane

A mountain of a man at 6’4, Fields could fill a need if the Vikings let Jalen Nailor walk. In a hopeful scenario, Jefferson and Fields could be the boundary receivers with Addison (status on the team TBD) working primarily out of the slot. Fields is a “go up and get it” type of receiver, something the Vikings have been lacking for a while.

3. Dillon Thieneman | S, Oregon
Crush Holder: Tony Schultz

Everyone will be staring down that 1st-Round pick at 18. Will the Vikings stay put? Move up? Move down? There are so many directions the team could go player-wise alone, and then add in being saddled with a new decision-maker (makers?) with the recent firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Rob Brzezinski is a “money” guy and may try to find a young replacement for an aging position at that point. I’m looking at Day 2 at the earliest for a guy I don’t want the team to miss out on. Dillon Thieneman is a guy I hope they have in their sights as a replacement for Harrison Smith.

He comes from a strong program and has decent size for a safety. More importantly, he is smart. Some have described him as an extension of the defensive coordinator on the field, and that’s a guy Brian Flores will covet. If he’s there in the 2nd Round, I hope the Vikings grab him.

If he lasts until their 3rd-Round pick, they should sprint to the podium. Reading the experts’ opinions, he matches Smith in their draft breakdowns in almost every way.

4. Akheem Mesidor | EDGE, Miami
Crush Holder: Kyle Joudry

Once upon a time, I played defensive line myself. I therefore enjoy watching great defensive linemen. Seeing Canadian edge rusher Akheem Mesidor get drafted would be fine by me.

5. Mansoor Delane | CB, LSU
Crush Holder: Ali Siddiqui

The Vikings have multiple needs, and CB is definitely one of them. Delane could be gone by no. 18, but if available, they should definitely take him. Isaiah Rodgers is in the final year of his deal.

6. Jermod McCoy | CB, Tennessee
Crush Holder: Steven Hoikkala

The Vikings need to upgrade their secondary, and McCoy would help solidify the backfield going forward. With Mansoor Delane likely off the board when Minnesota picks, McCoy will be a top CB target in this draft if Minnesota decides to upgrade the defense at No. 18.

7. Nick Singleton | RB, Penn State

How would you feel about a running back who just turned 22, is 6’0″ tall, weighs 220 pounds, has 4.39 speed, marked 23.6 mph in game speed at one point on the field last season, and catches the ball out of the backfield? That’s Singleton. He can also get-got in Round 3 or 4. Sign me the hell up.

t8. Caleb Banks | DT, Florida
Crush Holder: Adam New

The Vikings need help in the secondary, but adding Caleb Banks, an interior defender with the skillset to thrive in both run defense and pass rush, would give them a great young duo in the middle of the DL, along with Jalen Redmond. Already strong on the edge, this formidable defensive front is the stuff of my dreams.

t8. Caleb Banks | DT, Florida
Crush Holder: Janik Eckardt

The Vikings lack a massive human being in the running game. Banks brings that to the table and can be a real difference-maker in the ground game. He pairs that frame with nice short-area quickness, giving him an intriguing ceiling. With Jalen Redmond already in the building, the Vikings could form the interior duo for years to come by picking up the projected 1st-Round talent.

t8. Caleb Banks | DT, Florida
Crush Holder: Wes Johnson

Vikings addressed the trenches last offseason and injected youth into the offensive line via the draft. This year, they focus on youth on the defensive side and double down on the trenches. Banks had a phenomenal Senior Bowl and will be a projected riser come the draft. Pegged as an early 2nd Round pick before the Senior Bowl, he’s now cracked the back end of the 1st round.

t8. Caleb Banks | DT, Florida
Crush Holder: Josh Frey

I want to say Mansoor Delane, but I think he will go sooner. The big spending on DT in free agency last offseason didn’t exactly pan out for the Vikings, so it’s time to get a really disruptive presence on a rookie contract. Banks can be exactly that as a massive player at 6’6″ and 330 pounds. Injury cut his 2025 season short, but when healthy, he’s proven he can impact a defense both as a run stopper and a pass rusher.

Brad Keselowski called out Riley Herbst for causing the final lap pileup during Sunday’s Daytona 500. Keselowski didn’t hold back in his assessment and called it a ‘pretty stupid’ move on Herbst’s part.

Heading into the final lap, the top-5 consisted of race leader Chase Elliott, eventual winner Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, and Zane Smith. Herbst came to Reddick’s aid and pushed him on the inside lane, while the rest faded on the outside.

When Reddick dropped out of Elliott’s draft, Herbst followed suit and was poised to overtake on the outside. However, the No.35 driver was moving into Keselowski’s path, resulting in a contact that took out every frontrunner on the chase.

Reflecting upon the wreck, Keselowski had some choice words to say.

“Oh, the 35 just wrecked me out of nowhere for no reason. That was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen. He had no chance of blocking my run. I had a huge run. I don’t know if I could have got the 45 or 47 but I would’ve liked to found out because my run was coming fast and the 35 just wreck us and himself. Pretty stupid,” he said via X/Kelly Crandall.

Brad Keselowski ended up with a fifth-place finish, while Riley Herbst finished three spots behind. The result marks Herbst’s first top-10 result in three years.

Following Tyler Reddick’s maiden Daytona win, former winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was credited with the runner up placing. Meanwhile, Herbst’s misstep derailed Chase Elliott’s chances at the Harley J. Earl trophy.

Brad Keselowski finds positives despite Daytona near miss

During a post-race interview, Brad Keselowski rued a disastrous end to his Daytona bid, but found a silver lining amidst the chaos. Notably, the RFK Racing driver is returning from a leg fracture that sidelined him from the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

“Tore up the 9, tore up the 22, a bunch of cars that didn’t deserve to be wrecked, so that was a big bummer and really stupid. Still a decent day for us to come home with a top 5 and to be competitive and have a shot to win,” Keselowski said while reviewing the final lap footage.

Brad Keselowski’s teammate, Chris Buescher, finished seventh on the final order. The No.17 driver had rallied from a tail end start and even led four laps, further underscoring the team’s momentum. The team hoped to field Corey LaJoie with their No.99 entry, but he got collected in a late-race crash during the duel qualifier.

However, the Clash was a momentus occasion for RFK Racing, as Ryan Preece won his maiden Cup race in a rain-affected event. Preece’s Daytona outing didn’t do him any favors, as he finished as the last driver on the lead lap.