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The NBA is constantly looking for ways to improve All-Star Weekend. Reviews have been down in recent years because of regularly bad NBA All-Star Game performances that have happened due to a lack of effort and defense. An absence of star talent in the Slam Dunk Contest has been an issue, too. NBA All-Star Weekend might be back on the come-up, though. The 2025 NBA All-Star Game was the best iteration of that game in years due to the new four-team tournament format, and now fans and players are excited about the possibility of a Team USA vs. World format similar to what we saw from the NHL this year.
Additionally, stars are now flocking at the idea of participating in the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest after Mac McClung's legendary performance that made him a three-peat Dunk Contest champion. Another change that the NBA could implement is a 1-on-1 tournament. The new Unrivaled women's basketball league showcased the best players in a 1-on-1 tournament, and it was a huge hit for fans.
The best NBA players in the world would certainly love to prove themselves in a challenge that is just offensive player against defensive player. With no teammates or passing as a concern, players would surely give great effort in a chance to demonstrate their pure basketball/bucket-getting ability, and fans would absolutely tune into the event. Unrivaled's tournament – which ended with Napheesa Collier winning it all – had four sections of the bracket, with eight players in each section for a total of 32 players. We will use the same format for our NBA 1-on-1 bracket prediction here.
Each section consisting of eight All-Star-caliber players will have seeds from one through eight. The tournament will be single elimination games played to 11 points (10-minute time limit), and there will be four rounds before the best player from the West squares off against the best player from the East in the championship game. The seeding for our bracket is completely subjective and does NOT necessarily indicate the 32 best players in the NBA.
Western Conference Section A
First-round:
1) Nikola Jokic vs. 8) Kyrie Irving – Irving wins 11-7
4) Anthony Edwards vs. 5) Devin Booker – Edwards wins 11-10
3) Kevin Durant vs. 6) Domantas Sabonis – Durant wins 11-3
2) Stephen Curry vs. 7) De'Aaron Fox – Curry wins 11-7
Second-round:
4) Anthony Edwards vs. 8) Kyrie Irving – Irving wins 11-10
2) Stephen Curry vs. 3) Kevin Durant – Durant wins 11-6
Quarterfinals:
3) Kevin Durant vs. 8) Kyrie Irving – Durant wins 11-10
The Western Conference is stacked, so we see some great players eliminated in the first round. Notably, Irving pulls off the eight-seed upset over top-seeded Jokic. The Denver Nuggets big man is the best player in the NBA, and he could certainly bully Irving inside, but the Dallas Mavericks guard is an unfortunate first-round matchup for him. Irving's ball-handling and finishing is the stuff of legend, and Jokic would have a tough time guarding him in space (as anybody would).
Edwards and Booker play each other in the first round in a battle of arguably the two best shooting guards in the NBA, and Edwards just barely comes out on top. The biggest blowout of the tournament sees Durant win by eight points over Sabonis in our prediction, and Curry handles Fox with ease in the first round, too.
Irving's isolation ability allows him to beat Edwards in the second round despite the fact that Edwards will likely be more committed to winning this tournament than most of his peers. Both Durant and Curry are among the best shooters ever, but Durant's size trumps his former teammate in their matchup. This win would give Durant bragging rights over Curry in both their Finals MVP battles and this 1-on-1 tournament.
Another battle between former teammates takes place in the quarterfinals, and Durant again bests his former running mate, this time by a score of 11-10 over Irving.
Western Conference Section B
First-round:
1) Luka Doncic vs. 8) James Harden – Doncic wins 11-10
4) LeBron James vs. 5) Anthony Davis – Davis wins 11-9
3) Victor Wembanyama vs. 6) Ja Morant – Wembanyama wins 11-9
2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. 7) Jalen Williams – Gilgeous-Alexander wins 11-8
Second-round:
1) Luka Doncic vs. 5) Anthony Davis – Doncic wins 11-7
2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. 3) Victor Wembanyama – Wembanyama wins 11-10
Quarterfinals:
1) Luka Doncic vs. 3) Victor Wembanyama – Doncic wins 11-8
Harden is one of the greatest isolation scorers the game has ever seen, but Doncic is still able to best him in their first-round matchup. Former Los Angeles Lakers teammates James and Davis also play each other in the first round. Even though James is one of the greatest players ever, we think that he loses to Davis. James' dedication to All-Star events seems to be in the rearview mirror, as evidenced by when he pulled out late from the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
Morant had the potential to go on a deep run in this tournament, but his first-round matchup (Wembanyama) just has too much size. Not to mention, Wembanyama has guard-like skills, so he'd be set up well for a 1-on-1 tournament. Another teammate battle takes place between Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. Williams will keep it close because he knows Gilgeous-Alexander's game, but the MVP frontrunner is the superior player.
One of the most fun matchups of the tournament is the second-round battle between Doncic and Davis. The two were recently traded for each other in one of the biggest and most controversial trades of all time, and Doncic settles the debate here on just how much the Lakers fleeced the Mavericks. Wembanyama again takes on a guard (Gilgeous-Alexander), and his size advantage again leads to a win.
That size advantage is still prevalent against Doncic, but it is less drastic. Scoring on Wembanyama is never easy because of his length and shot-blocking prowess, but Doncic gets the win here because he creates angles better than anybody in the NBA.
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Eastern Conference Section A
First-round:
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. 8) Damian Lillard – Antetokounmpo wins 11-7
4) Paolo Banchero vs. 5) Franz Wagner – Banchero wins 11-7
3) Karl-Anthony Towns vs. 6) LaMelo Ball – Ball wins 11-8
2) Joel Embiid vs. 7) Cade Cunningham – Cunningham wins 11-10
Second-round:
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. 4) Paolo Banchero – Antetokounmpo wins 11-6
6) LaMelo Ball vs. 7) Cade Cunningham – Ball wins 11-9
Quarterfinals:
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. 6) LaMelo Ball – Ball wins 11-10
Section B of the Eastern Conference features a couple of teammate vs. teammate matchups in round one. Antetokounmpo is the Batman to Lillard's Robin on the Milwaukee Bucks, and Banchero is the number one option over Wagner with the Orlando Magic. Both of the top dogs get the job done against their running mates.
Despite size advantages, we think both Towns and Embiid would lose their respective matchups against Ball and Cunningham. Ball and Cunningham are both jumbo guards, so they have great perimeter games but also have more size than most points guards to help fend off centers.
Banchero and Cunningham are both former first-overall picks, but we think they'd both lose in the second round. Banchero's loss comes to Antetokounmpo, and Cunningham loses to Ball. In the quarterfinals, Antetokounmpo could certainly out-muscle Ball, but the Charlotte Hornets star can get hot quickly, and his circus-like shotmaking ability could work well in a 1-on-1 setting.
Eastern Conference Section B
First-round:
1) Jayson Tatum vs. 8) Evan Mobley – Tatum wins 11-7
4) Jaylen Brown vs. 5) Trae Young – Young wins 11-8
3) Donovan Mitchell vs. 6) Tyrese Haliburton – Mitchell wins 11-4
2) Jalen Brunson vs. 7) Tyrese Maxey – Maxey wins 11-8
Second-round:
1) Jayson Tatum vs. 5) Trae Young – Young wins 11-8
3) Donovan Mitchell vs. 7) Tyrese Maxey – Mitchell wins 11-7
Quarterfinals:
3) Donovan Mitchell vs. 5) Trae Young – Young wins 11-9
Section B of the Eastern Conference was more guard-heavy than section A. That allows Young to go on a run. His deep 3-point scoring ability would be tough to defend in this format, which is why he bests Brown in round one. We predicted Mitchell to win with ease, and Maxey is capable of an upset win over Brunson, a player who is better suited for a team-oriented game. Tatum also gets a win over Mobley, and knocking off the near-seven footer is big for the guards in this section of the bracket.
Round two sees Young knock off Tatum despite being a five-seed, and we think that Mitchell can handle Maxey. Both players are of similar size and skill, though, so that game could go either way.
Semifinals:
1) Luka Doncic (Western Conference Section B) vs. 3) Kevin Durant (Western Conference Section A) – Durant wins 11-10
5) Trae Young (Eastern Conference Section B) vs. 6) LaMelo Ball (Eastern Conference Section A) – Young wins 11-7
We predicted Young's run to continue with a win over fellow underdog Ball. Durant also gets a one-point win over Doncic. Durant can score over the top of anybody, and he has the size to defend all types of players.
NBA All-Star 1-on-1 tournament championship game
3) Kevin Durant (Western Conference) vs. 5) Trae Young (Eastern Conference) – Durant wins 11-5
Unfortunately, a great tournament ends in anticlimactic fashion in our prediction. Young's Cinderella story was fun, but Durant is simply a bad matchup for him. He wouldn't be able to defend the four-time scoring champion, so Durant is crowned champion after an 11-5 blowout win. Whether a 1-on-1 tournament replaced the NBA All-Star Game or took place in addition to it, fans would love to see it implemented into All-Star Weekend. If the NBA went this route, it would likely lead to the most anticipated All-Star Weekend of all time.
