Even at the exhibition level, one truth remains dogmatic — Chet Holmgren always wins and brings home trophies. That once again was strengthened when he helped Team USA Stars win the 2026 NBA All-Star Game that was remixed into a three-team round-robin tournament.
Hate to say it, the outside-the-box idea was a success. Breaking the mundane All-Star Game into four miniature ones helped everybody stay involved. The afternoon game kept you on your couch for the three hours it lasted.
In his first NBA All-Star Game, Holmgren morphed into a bench player for JB Bickerstaff's eight-player squad. The Detroit Pistons went with Jalen Duren as the starting center. Of course, that was probably a relationship move. But it paid off regardless.
Team USA Stars split its first two games. It served the upset win over Team World to open things up. To preview how things would go, Game 1 went into overtime as everybody scrambled to figure out the rules — which turned out to be an ELAM ending with the first to five.
Game 2 was similarly exciting. Team USA Stars fell short in a close loss to Team USA Stripes. De'Aaron Fox scored the game-winner with a 3-pointer as Cade Cunningham bit on his pump-fake.
After two consecutive games, Team USA Stars was given a 40-minute breather. Kawhi Leonard went nuclear with 31 points as Team World advanced to the finals in a 48-45 win over Team World.
Alas, that win took all of the energy from the veteran squad. Team USA Stars had the rest and youthful advantage in a blowout win of the All-Star Game finals. Holmgren saved his best game for last as they led for double-digit points for most of the 12-minute matchup.
Let's look at how Holmgren did in all three games and hand out a 2026 NBA All-Star Game grade:
Game 1: Team USA Stars 37, Team World 35 (OT)
Cutting to the basket, Holmgren received Devin Booker's pass for the wide-open dunk. While the seven-footer was quiet in this first matchup, he had the chance to shake off any nerves playing alongside the league's best players with the easy bucket.
Holmgren finished with two points on 1-of-3 shooting and one rebound in five minutes. He was a plus-nine as Team USA Stars mounted a nine-point comeback when he stepped on the floor.
With under five minutes to go, Team USA Stars were in a 26-17 deficit. Felt like they were on the cusp of a lopsided loss. Once the reserves checked in, though, the game script flipped. The youngest All-Star squad went on a 15-6 run to tie things up at 32 points apiece.
Anthony Edwards drilled the outside jumper to knot it up at the end of regulation. That was the first real highlight moment that eventually helped him win the NBA All-Star Game MVP. Tied at 32 points, Scottie Barnes scored the game-winner on a 3-pointer in overtime.
Chet SLAMS it home for his first All-Star Game points 💥 pic.twitter.com/et05biQKIZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 15, 2026
Game 2: Team USA Stripes 42, Team USA Stars 40
Jumping off the floor, Holmgren met with Jaylen Brown to break up an easy alley-oop. Most years, you see that connective play spammed throughout the entire All-Star Game. To the point that it got boring quickly. But this year's unique tournament structure injected Sunday's matchup with some competitive juice.
Holmgren was scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting but had one rebound, one assist and one steal in seven minutes. He was 0-of-1 from 3. Once again, though, Team USA Stripes won in his seven minutes as he was a plus-two.
This was another nail-biter. In a back-and-forth affair, it felt like Edwards was going to have another clutch-time moment. He stole the ball away from Donovan Mitchell and splashed in another 3-pointer. That put Team USA Stripes up 40-39 with 19 seconds left.
Alas, Fox stole his moment. On a scramble play, Mitchell found him at the perimeter in a kick-out pass. Cunningham panickly jumped up for the contest. Fox calmly relocated after a pump-fake and knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Game 4: Team USA Stripes 47, Team USA Stars 21
Juggling the ball until it landed in his hands, Holmgren securely gripped it before he went up for the loud one-handed jam. The exclamation mark punctuated a boring ending to an otherwise thrilling NBA All-Star Game.
Holmgren saved his best game for last. He had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and two rebounds in six minutes. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had two blocks and was a plus-nine.
Within the opening moments, you could tell that Team USA Stars had a Gatorade logo underneath their sneakers. The veteran squad filled with 30-plus-year-old All-Star players were completely exhausted as they played their third straight game.
Fully rested, Team USA Stripes got off to a 12-1 lead. They never looked back the rest of the way. They led by as many as 26 points in a 12-minute exhibition. Holmgren joined in on the fun as Bickerstaff's bench added to the momentum.
Splash 👌 pic.twitter.com/KfDKOQI0rd
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2026
7️⃣ with the HAMMER❗️ 🔨 pic.twitter.com/gZszaLl2R2
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 16, 2026
Grade: B
Well, that's a wrap of Holmgren's first NBA All-Star experience. Despite sitting atop the NBA standings all season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a pretty quiet weekend of festivities. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conducted some media appearances but was sidelined from Sunday's game due to an abdominal strain that has cost him five games.
Ajay Mitchell also missed out on Friday's Rising Stars challenge. He's missed three weeks with an abdominal strain. Holmgren's only other OKC teammate at Los Angeles was Jared McCain, who won an NBA All-Star celebrity 3-point contest against other pro athletes and online streamers.
Holmgren played a total of 16 minutes through the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 1-of-2 from 3, four rebounds, one assist and two blocks.
Considering Holmgren was a bench player, can't ask for too much else. He played within the flow of the offense. Habitually stepping up in the biggest games, he had his loudest game in the finals. Team USA Stars won in his minutes on the floor as well.
Cool moment for Holmgren to finally enjoy being an All-Star. He's been one of the league's best players since he joined the Thunder. There's a reason why all of the advanced metrics love his impact — especially on defense. He helped that side of the ball exist in an environment where it's usually extinct. You gotta be happy with that if you're Adam Silver.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2026 NBA All-Star Game: Chet Holmgren helps Team USA Stars win tournament