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Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun came off the bench and made his mark at the 2026 NBA All-Star event, becoming the first Turkish player to earn a second selection as USA Stars won the title.
The NBA’s 75th All-Star event concluded with USA Stars defeating USA Stripes 47–21 in the final, held at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Home Arena. This year’s edition moved away from the traditional East-West game and instead ran as a four-team mini tournament with shorter matchups.
Sengun joined Team World after replacing injured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, marking his second career All-Star selection. The 23-year-old became the first Turkish player to appear in the NBA All-Star game twice and only the second Turkish player ever selected, following Mehmet Okur in 2007.
Coming off the bench, Sengun grabbed four rebounds and delivered two assists in three minutes during his first game. In another matchup against USA Stripes, he added one point, one rebound, and two assists in six minutes.
Victor Wembanyama led Team World in scoring with 14 points in the opening game and 19 points in another matchup, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Jamal Murray also contributed, but the team fell short of reaching the final.
Tyrese Maxey led USA Stars in the final with nine points, while Anthony Edwards and Chet Holmgren added eight points each. Donovan Mitchell scored six points and LeBron James finished with five for USA Stripes.
Earlier in the event, USA Stars narrowly beat Team World 37–35 in overtime behind Edwards’ 13 points. USA Stripes then defeated USA Stars 42–40 and later edged Team World 48–45 to reach the final, powered by Kawhi Leonard’s 31-point performance.
Anthony Edwards received the Kobe Bryant MVP award after leading USA Stars throughout the tournament. He recorded eight points, four rebounds, and two assists in the final and finished the event with 32 points and nine rebounds across three games.
The updated format brought together rising American players, experienced U.S. stars, and international talent in shorter, faster games designed to increase competitiveness.
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