when is the skills challenge nba
NBA Skills Challenge Update The NBA Skills Challenge, a highlight of All- Star Weekend, is not happening in 2026. It has been replaced by the returning Shooting Stars competition.
Recent History
This event tested players' ball-handling, passing, and shooting skills during All-Star Saturday night, typically the day before the All-Star Game.
- From 2022-2025, teams (often including host-city players) competed in relay formats with dribbling, passing, shooting rounds, and tiebreakers like half-court shots.
- 2025 champions : Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking their second team win.
- Past stars like Damian Lillard, Steve Nash, and Dwyane Wade each won it twice, blending guards and bigs since 2016.
2026 All-Star Weekend Shift
In a surprising pivot, the NBA dropped the Skills Challenge for 2026 to revive Shooting Stars, focusing on celebrity-celeb-player teams shooting from various spots.
This comes amid talks of refreshing All-Star formats, with some fans on forums buzzing about missing the skills showcase after strong 2025 viewership.
The full All-Star Weekend (February 2026) still features events like the Three-Point Contest and Dunk Contest—check NBA.com for the exact Saturday lineup.
Quick Past Winners Table
| Year | Winner(s) | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2023-24 | Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Bennedict Mathurin | Indiana Pacers |
| 2022-23 | Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton | Utah Jazz |
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.