Kevin Durant is 37 years old, still one of the best shotmakers in the NBA and poised to take part in his 16th All-Star Game. The Houston Rockets standout forward has seen a handful of versions of the midseason exhibition. The latest will feature three teams in a round-robin tournament: Two will consist of players from the United States and a third will be comprised of players from the rest of the world.
Along with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, Durant's on "USA Stripes," which he dubbed "the old-head mob" and "the OGs."
Following a 105-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, who will host Sunday's All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome, Durant was asked Wednesday if his veteran squad will play hard in the USA vs. World tournament.
"You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they're going to compete," Durant said, via Chron's Michael Shapiro. "If you look at Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić now, let's go back and look at what they do in the All-Star Game. Is that competition? So we haven't questioned what they've been doing. But we going to question the old heads, and the Americans."
Fun moment w/Kevin Durant postgame. I asked if his self-proclaimed “Old Heads” team will play hard in All-Star Game.
— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) February 12, 2026
KD says he can “read between the lines.”
“You should ask the Europeans + the World Team if they want to compete. Look at Luka Doncic + Nikola Jokic, let's go… https://t.co/bCpLobUUFEpic.twitter.com/xUuU8AEeVQ
Durant then said, with a laugh at the end, "But these two dudes out there, Luka and Jokić, they don't care about the game at all."
He continued: "These dudes be laying on the floor. They shoot from half court. But you've got to worry about the old heads playing hard? I can read between the lines, bro. ... It's just an overall topic that everybody's been talking about."
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, a member of Team World with Dončić and Jokić, told reporters on Tuesday that he plans on giving his all in this year's All-Star Game, the 22-year-old's second.
"I've seen the All-Star Game, and obviously it hasn't been competitive," Wembanyama said, per ESPN. "And I've always thought myself that if I was in there, I'm never stepping onto the court to lose or not caring. Just like at home, I'm never stepping into a board game not caring, thinking I'm going to lose. ... I'm going to be out there, I might as well win."
When asked about that statement Wednesday, Durant remained skeptical.
"We'll see," Durant said.
"He said that last year, too. They said it was the worst All-Star Game that people watched. So we're going to see. ... Who knows what's going to happen? This format might change the game, but who knows? We'll see."
[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube]
There were no positional requirements for this year's All-Star lineups. That's a first for the exhibition, now in its 75th year.
In terms of the game itself, there will still technically be four 12-minute quarters, although each will be its own game. Each of the three teams will play twice during round-robin action. The fourth "quarter" will pit the two teams with the best records to decide a champion.
Point differential will be the post-round-robin tiebreaker if all three teams have 1-1 records.
The NBA All-Star Game has been a criticism magnet for years. At the heart of that condemnation has been fans' frustration with players' effort, or lack thereof.
But with the Paris Olympics not that far in the rear-view mirror and the Milan Cortina Olympics ongoing, the NBA hopes to ride the international wave.
Perhaps Durant's comments can stoke a flame that ignites more competitive play on Sunday.