Pros and Cons of a Team USA vs. Team World NBA All-Star Game

So, with the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, could the NBA adapt something similar?

Many have suggested a “Team USA vs. Team World” game pitting American and international stars against each other.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the NBA’s top foreign players, endorsed the idea.

But, as with any idea, there are pros and cons to this suggested format.

PRO: TEAM USA BATTLES A WORTHY OPPONENT

The sheer talent on both teams makes this proposal very enticing. Team USA won Olympic Gold in Paris last summer, as expected, but they met some significant adversity along the way. If the game’s top international stars joined forces, they could create the most talented opponent Team USA has ever faced.

Team World’s talent might just surpass that of Team USA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian, just won the 2025 NBA MVP. An American star hasn’t won the award since 2018.

In an ideal world, this format would achieve exactly what the All-Star Game is supposed to. It would motivate the best players in the entire world to compete against each other in a celebration of the game.

CON: THE PLAYERS MIGHT NOT TRY

Compete is the operative word in that sentence, however.

The 4 Nations Face-Off worked because players, motivated by playing for their home country, treated the game like it mattered. Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin, who suited up for Sweden, said, “You play for your country, you do everything you can to win.”

For the NBA, a Team USA vs. Team World game would likely motivate players to put forth more effort. How much more is hard to predict, however.

Would international stars, almost all from different countries, be motivated by the same national pride that motivated the NHL’s top talent?

One can only hope.

PRO: CELEBRATE THE GAME’S GROWTH

Basketball is an American game, but its reach across the globe continues to expand due to its foreign-born superstars. All-time greats like Hakeem Olajuwon to rising stars like Victor Wembanyama have been and remain instrumental to the NBA’s success.

Now, more than ever, the game is growing on a worldwide stage. Entering the 2024-25 season, 125 players from 43 countries were rostered on an NBA team, tying a record. It’s the fourth straight season to feature at least 120 international players.

What better way to celebrate that growth than by showcasing the top talent from across the globe in a game against Team USA?

CON: WHAT HAPPENS TO INDIVIDUAL RECORDS AND ACCOLADES?

An All-Star appearance has major individual significance for a player’s career. How they are viewed and how they are paid notably change after they receive the honor. As such, it means a lot to an NBA star to be selected as a standout performer. 

The negative impact a Team USA vs. Team World game could have on that significance is massive. 

While the league may be enjoying record numbers of international representation, the vast majority of NBA players are American. 

If this format is to be adopted, it is reasonable to envision American stars being snubbed in favor of less-talented, international players (and vice versa) for the sake of keeping the teams evenly numbered.

One might suggest naming 24 All-Stars based on talent and making the Team USA vs. Team World game more selective. But you run into an entirely different problem. If only 12 players are named to each side, and 16 All-Stars happen to be American, what four players are going to sit out? How would that be decided?

Picture a perfect world where the All-Star pool happens to feature an equal number of American and international talent. Would coaches feel pressured to play everyone and risk jeopardizing the competitive spirit of the event? Would players feel scorned if they were selected as an All-Star but benched in the game?

The NBA would have to delicately iron out the priorities of the event before adapting it, and no solution is a perfect one.

PRO: IT CAN ONLY GO UP FROM HERE

Regardless of whether this format works or not, it would almost certainly be an improvement on last year’s game, which Draymond Green rated “a zero” out of 10.

Team USA vs. Team World could lack buy-in and competition from the players that has afflicted the event for years, but the novelty of the idea would still garner interest in the States and around the world.

The league has been repeatedly experimenting with changes to the format, none of which have stuck. What’s the harm in one more crack at finding a winner?

CON: WHAT ABOUT DUAL CITIZENSHIP?

2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid, born in Cameroon, received boos from French fans for his choice to join Team USA for its 2024 Olympic run. 

It’s hard to digest that with so many different nations at play for the superstar’s talents, but Embiid’s case presents a lot of potential problems for the proposed Team USA vs. Team World game.

Embiid, despite being native to Cameroon, has both French and American citizenship, thus eligible to play for all three nations on the international stage.

Would international players with dual citizenship choose Team USA over Team World?

It’s possible, but the alternative scenario is also a reality. Karl-Anthony Towns, for example, was born in New Jersey, but chose to play for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Towns cited his family’s Dominican roots as a motivating factor in his decision.

These unique cases could pose a problem for the format, specifically if a player like Embiid chooses to represent Team World after playing with Team USA in the Olympics.

CONCLUSION

In the end, the prospect of the NBA implementing a Team USA vs. Team World game in favor of a traditional All-Star Game is enticing, but not a guaranteed success. 

While Giannis thinks it would be a ‘must-see’ event, the NBA has a lot of things to address before it could successfully adopt the format.