What Is the Prize for Winning the All-Star Game?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 1:00 PM ET

The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend is here and the festivities began Thursday with the Creator Cup. The action intensifies on Friday with the All-Star Celebrity Game, Rising Stars and the HBCU Classic. Various skills competitions are scheduled for Saturday, with the main games set for Sunday.

This year, the NBA has changed the format to a USA vs. the World theme. Three teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two advancing to the championship game. Two teams consist of American players (Stars and Stripes), while the third is made up of international players (World).

Now, it is not simply entertainment. There is designated prize money for both winners and losers. The total prize pool is $1.8 million, according to Newsweek. Each player on the winning team receives $125,000. The runners-up receive $50,000, while players on the third-place team receive $25,000 each.

How Much Do NBA All-Stars Get Paid to Play in All-Star Game?

NBA All-Star 2026 signage at the Intuit Dome.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NBA players do not receive appearance fees for participating in All-Star events. Their earnings come from prize money allocated to each competition. In addition to the $1.8 million prize pool for the All-Star Game, players can also earn money in other events.

The winner of the NBA 3-Point Contest, scheduled for Saturday, receives $60,000. Second place earns $40,000. Third place receives $20,000. Fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh places receive $15,000 each, and the eighth-place finisher receives $10,000.

For the Rising Stars event, players of the winning team get $25,000 each. Runners-up bag $15,000 while players of the other two teams get $10,000.

The Slam Dunk Contest winner receives $105,000, with the runner-up earning $55,000. The other two participants receive $20,000 each.

How Have All-Star Game Prizes Changed Over Time?

The prize pools for All-Star events have grown significantly over time. Under the 2017 collective bargaining agreement, All-Star Game winners earned only $50,000 while losers earned $25,000. Starting in 2018, the NBA doubled the winners’ bonus to $100,000 each.

The order of events for NBA All-Star Saturday!@StateFarm 3-Point Contest@Kia Shooting Stars@ATT Slam Dunk

Feb. 14 at 5:00pm/et on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/syKQVSTb6b
— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2026

Contest payouts also saw big jumps. By 2022, the Slam Dunk Contest top prize leapt from roughly $40,000 to $105,000 and the 3-Point Contest winner’s award rose to $60,000. The 2023 CBA codified these higher amounts and the revamped 2025 All-Star format raises them further. Championship‑team players now get $125,000 each.

In short, All-Star bonuses have roughly doubled (or more) over the past decade, reflecting deliberate increases in the CBA to make the exhibition more competitive.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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