Every year since 2017, VTB United League suspends its regular season for one weekend to host Russia’s biggest basketball show – the All-Star Game.
And every time, the League comes up with something that makes the event unforgettable. We have already seen ballet on the court, a three-point duel between Shved and L’One, stand-up comedy, basketball of the future…
In 2026, the anniversary All-Star Game will take place – the best players in the League will play at VTB Arena.
What awaits fans on February 15? Here’s what we know:
A festive atmosphere
The All-Star Game is a celebration of basketball in itself. And when it’s the tenth game, it’s only natural to immerse yourself in the birthday theme.
Everyone prepared for the event in their own way. Match TV, for example, showed all the most memorable events that took place at the VTB League All-Star Game over the past decade in Promo:
Designers worked on the players’ jerseys, adding festive ribbons and stars. Fact: for the first time in history, absolutely all inscriptions on jerseys and shorts are in Russian.
The musical mood will be provided by bands known to everyone: Diskoteka Avariya and Moya Michel. Refresh your playlists, remember the lyrics, and sing along on Sunday.
The League’s official Telegram channel has compiled everything you need to know about the All-Star Game in one post:
Format
The League has decided to stick with the most popular format: Russia Stars and World Stars will face at VTB Arena on Sunday.
So far, the score is 4-3, Russian Stars lead, but this fragile advantage could evaporate as early as this Sunday.
After all, the World Stars have an impressive lineup:
Patrick Miller (Lokomotiv Kuban), Jalen Adams (BETCITY PARMA), Alen Hadzibegovic (Avtodor), Terrell Carter (BETCITY PARMA), Melo Trimble (CSKA), Brendan Adams (BETCITY PARMA), Marcus Bingham (UNICS), Jalen Reynolds (UNICS), Danilo Tasic (Enisey), Vince Hunter (Lokomotiv Kuban), Garrett Nevels (Uralmash), Trent Frazier (Zenit).
However, the Russian Stars also have some impressive names:
Anton Astapkovich (CSKA), Vsevolod Ischenko (Lokomotiv Kuban), Anton Kvitkovskikh (Lokomotiv Kuban), Gleb Firsov (BETCITY PARMA), Alexey Shved (UNICS), Georgy Zhbanov (Zenit), Andrey Martuk (Zenit), Andrey Zubkov (MBA-MAI), Dmitry Kulagin (UNICS), Nikita Mikhailovskii (Samara), Nikita Kurbanov (CSKA), Andrey Vorontsevich (Zenit)
A heated battle is also expected on the coaching bench: Velimir Perasovic (UNICS) will lead World Stars, while Evgeny Pashutin (BETCITY PARMA) will lead the Russia Stars.
Incidentally, 3 players from these teams participated in the very first All-Star Game in Sochi: Alexey Shved, Andrey Zubkov and Andrey Vorontsevich. For 9 other players—Anton Kvitkovskikh, Vsevolod Ischenko, Gleb Firsov, Marcus Bingham, Jalen Adams, Brendan Adams, Danilo Tasic, Terrell Carter and Alen Hadzibegovic—this will be their debut in a show of this magnitude.
Nikita Kurbanov, however, is unlikely to be surprised by anything – at 39, he will be the oldest participant in the VTB League All-Star Game in history.
The teams and coaches have been given plenty of motivation – the winner of the match will receive a substantial prize of 5 million rubles!
What kind of All-Star Game would it be without contests?
Of course, there will be the usual competitions.
During the break between the first and second quarters, there will be a WINLINE Three-Point Contest, in which 6 players will compete for the title of best shooter of the All-Star Game 2026: Jalen Adams (BETCITY PARMA), Samson Ruzhentsev (CSKA), Garrett Nevels (Uralmash), Dmitry Sonko (Enisey), Pavel Savkov (MBA-MAI) and Trent Frazier (Zenit).
The prize for winning the contest is 500 000 rubles!
And during the big break, there will be a WINLINE Slam Dunk Contest. Egor Ryzhov (Enisey), Daniil Kasko (Avtodor), Kirill Popov (Pari Nizhny Novgorod), Brendan Adams (BETCITY PARMA) and Ty Brewer (UNICS).
As in the three-point contest, the best dunker of the evening will receive 500,000 rubles.
Where and when will the VTB League All-Star Game be?
On Sunday, February 15, at VTB Arena Park in Moscow. The arena will open at 15:00, the show will start at 16:00, and tip-off is scheduled for 17:10.
Where can I watch the All-Star Game?
If for some reason you are unable to attend the arena in Moscow, be sure to tune in to the live broadcast of the event on Match TV or VK Sport, as well as on the League’s website and app for iOS and Android.
The broadcast will begin on February 15 at 16:30 Moscow time.
