Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey Tabbed NBA All-Star Starters
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball products Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Maxey have been named starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star game, it was announced on Monday. UK is the only school with multiple former players selected as starters to this year’s All-Star game.
Five starters from each conference were selected by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25% of the vote) and media (25% of the vote), regardless of position. The All-Star reserves, selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced at a later date.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The event will feature a new U.S. vs. World format which will comprise two teams of U.S. born players and one team of international players. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players and will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four, 12-minute games.
Gilgeous-Alexander earns his fourth all-star selection overall and his third-consecutive starting nod. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard is second in the NBA in scoring at 31.8 points per game and leads the league in total points with 1,304. He is shooting a career-best 54.7 percent from the field and has an active streak of 113 games with 20 or more points scored, the second-longest streak in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander’s efforts have the Thunder at 35-8 overall, the top record in the Association. He was recently named the Western Conference Player of the Month for the month of December.
In Lexington for the 2017-18 season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists. He was named the MVP of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, helping the Wildcats to the title with a win over Tennessee in the championship game. That year, Gilgeous-Alexander was an All-SEC Second Team selection and an All-SEC Freshman Team honoree.
Maxey nabs his second overall All-Star selection and first as a starter. The Philadelphia 76ers guard is third in the NBA and tops in the Eastern Conference with an average of 30.3 points per game, while also ranking tied for third in steals per game with 1.9 swipes per contest. He is shooting 40.2 percent from beyond the arc and is averaging career highs in assists per game (6.7) and rebounds per game (4.4).
Maxey was selected 21st overall in the 2020 NBA draft after earning second-team All-SEC and SEC Freshman Team honors for the Wildcats. He averaged 14.0 points per game and played a team-high 34.5 minutes per game. Maxey scored in double figures in 22 games and hit the game-winning shot in his collegiate debut to help the Wildcats defeat No. 1 Michigan State in the season opener.
Kentucky men’s basketball led all schools with 27 players on NBA Opening Day rosters ahead of the 2025-26 season. UK is represented on 21 NBA franchises with seven teams featuring multiple Wildcats.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
