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You ever watch someone do something so well, for so long, that you forget they’re mortal? That’s Stephen Curry with a basketball in his hands at the three-point line.

And now, sitting on the sidelines at All-Star Weekend 2026 with a bum knee, he casually dropped a bombshell during his NBC interview: he’s coming back to the 3-point contest in Phoenix next year. Oh, and he wants Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard there with him.

Curry’s relationship with the three-point contest has always been fun. He won it in 2015 with a then-record 27 points in the final round, draining 13 straight shots like he was playing warmups at an empty Oracle Arena. The next year, Klay beat him in Toronto with 27 of his own, matching Steph’s record in the ultimate Splash Brothers showdown. Then Curry came back in 2021, dropped a ridiculous 31 in the first round, and won the whole thing on his final shot. Drama. Theater. Pure Steph.

This isn’t new for Steph. The three-point contest isn’t just some side show he decided to enter for fun. It’s in his blood, woven into the fabric of who he is as a player and as a person. Picture this: 1994 NBA All-Star Weekend in Minneapolis. A six-year-old Stephen Curry, sitting courtside with his brother Seth, watching their father Dell Curry compete in the three-point shootout. Dell didn’t win that night, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the image seared into young Steph’s brain: his dad, under the bright lights, shooting for glory in front of the world. The racks lined up, crowd buzzing, and the crisp swish of the net. That’s where the dream got planted.

But here’s the thing: Curry hasn’t touched that contest since Atlanta five years ago. And in those five years, he’s continued to rewrite the record books, continued to make shots that shouldn’t exist, continued to prove that he didn’t just change the game, he is the game now. The man is 37 years old, shooting 39.1% from three this season, and he’s still the most dangerous shooter who’s ever lived. Damian Lillard just won his third contest this past weekend, joining elite company. Curry could join that club too with one more win in Phoenix.

Think about what that would mean. Three 3-point contest titles. The all-time leader in made threes. Eight scoring titles from beyond the arc. A legacy built on redefining what’s possible from 30 feet. And he’s doing it because he watched Dame win and thought, “Yeah, I’m not done yet.”That’s hunger. That’s pride. That’s the kind of competitive fire that made him who he is.

And wanting Klay there? That’s poetry. The Splash Brothers, back where they belong, competing for a crown that they’ve owned more than any other duo in NBA history. The Warriors are the only team ever to have different players win the contest in back-to-back years. Steph in 2015, Klay in 2016. They made that event theirs. Bringing that energy back to Phoenix, with everything they’ve been through, with everything the Warriors have been through? That’s not just nostalgia. That’s a statement.

Curry was sitting there in street clothes, injured, unable to play in the All-Star Game he was voted into as a starter, and he’s already thinking about next year. Already plotting his return: imagining the racks, the money balls, the roar of the crowd when he gets hot. You think he’s washed? You think his time is up? He’s about to remind everyone exactly who he is.

Phoenix 2027. The Chef’s coming back to cook.

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Jaquan Johnson scored 24 points to lead Bradley to a 70-60 victory over Southern Illinois on Sunday.

Johnson made 9 of 18 shots with two 3-pointers for the Braves (18-9, 11-5 Missouri Valley Conference), adding seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Alex Huibregtse hit four 3-pointers and scored 14.

Quel'Ron House finished with 26 points to pace the Salukis (12-15, 6-10). Davion Sykes added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Johnson had seven points in the first half as the two teams played to a 28-all tie. Johnson had 17 points after halftime and Huibregtse added 11 to rally the Braves to the victory.

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Jaylen Brown is in the middle of the prime of his career, but the five-time NBA All-Star is already planning ahead for his post-basketball career in a differrent sport.

And where could that take him?

Apparently, to the octagon, Brown told reporters at NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. 

Brown said that he has even talked to UFC CEO Dana White about the idea. 

“I’ve toyed with this. I’ve talked to some people,” said Brown, who has training in Muay Thai. “Maybe the post part of my career, I would love to partake in something like UFC or even boxing. I’ve talked to Dana White about some stuff. But we’ll see as things go on. We’ll see.”

Considering that Brown is 29 years old and still has plenty of basketball left in him, those UFC dreams are likely a ways off. 

The Celtics are currently the second-best team in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break and Brown has been on a tear this season. 

With 23.9 points per game this season, Brown sits tied for third best in the league among offensive leaders, while also averaging 6.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this season. 

Brown was named the 2024 NBA Finals MVP when the Celtics defeated the Mavericks in five games. 

The NBA has not been immune to some scuffles or physical play on the court, which has given Brown the chance to put a little of his combat training into use. 

“It’s kind of exciting when you get in the moment to have a little bit of controversy,” Brown said. “Sometimes it’s not even that big of a deal, but we’ve got emotional dudes, we’ve got passionate dudes about this game. Some of that stuff is going to happen. You get in between the margins, you’re throwing ‘bows. That stuff, that’s a part of the game to some degree.”

Brown was throwing a different kind of jab over the weekend — a verbal one — at the city of Beverly Hills after cops there shut down an event he was hosting during All-Star weekend.

Brown took to social media to blast the department, calling Beverly Hills “trash” and saying, “people worked hard for this how dare y’all.”

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Marta Suarez and Clara Silva both finished with 14 points to help No. 17 TCU beat No. 19 West Virginia 59-50 on Sunday night and take over the top spot in the Big 12 Conference.

TCU (23-4, 11-3), which won the regular-season and conference tournament titles last season, is tied with No. 12 Baylor, but the Horned Frogs have the tiebreaker advantage after beating the Bears 83-67 before taking care of the Mountaineers. Baylor visits TCU to close out the regular season on March 1.

TCU has won 40 straight games at Schollmaier Arena, tying No. 4 Texas for the longest active streak. West Virginia was the last team to win there, beating the Frogs 77-52 two years ago.

Suarez made 6 of 10 shots with two 3-pointers and Silva sank 7 of 12 shots with eight rebounds and two blocks. Olivia Miles pitched in with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Taylor Bigby added 10 points and four assists as the starters did all the scoring.

Gia Cooke had 18 points to top the Mountaineers (21-6, 11-4), who lost 51-50 to TCU at home in January. Sydney Shaw hit three 3-pointers and scored 12. West Virginia had won four straight and seven of eight entering play.

Cooke and Shaw sank back-to-back 3-pointers and West Virginia used an 8-0 run over the final three minutes of the first quarter to take a 14-11 lead.

Cooke had nine points by halftime and the Mountaineers again outscored the Horned Frogs 14-11 for a six-point lead.

TCU made only 1 of 8 from distance in the first half, but Hunter hit two 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the third quarter and Suarez and Bigby both sank one in a 20-2 run that put the Horned Frogs ahead 42-30. TCU made its first nine shots in the period to build a 46-39 lead heading to the fourth.

The Mountaineers cut the dificit to six on four occasions over the final 10 minutes but got no closer.

Up next

TCU: At Houston on Wednesday.

West Virginia: Hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.

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INGLEWOOD, CA — The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is officially a wrap.

An entertaining showcase on Sunday, Feb. 15 resulted in a victory for Team Stars — a squad composed of mostly younger U.S.-born players — reinvigorated the event, which has faced repeated criticism over a lack of competitive play.

In the All-Star Game championship, Team Stars defeated Team Stripes, which mostly featured a collection of more experienced veterans like LeBron James of the Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Rockets and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards won the Kobe Bryant Trophy, given to the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player.

Here are the winners and losers from the 2026 NBA All-Star Game:

SEATTLE (AP) — Sayvia Sellers scored 17 points to help No. 25 Washington beat Oregon 51-43 on Sunday night.

Sellers made 6 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers for the Huskies (19-7, 9-6 Big Ten Conference). Avery Howell pitched in with nine points and nine rebounds.

Sarah Rambus scored 12 off the bench on 5-for-7 shooting to pace the Ducks (18-9, 6-8), who have lost two straight following a four-game winning streak.

Sellers hit two 3-pointers and scored eight in the first five minutes as Washington jumped out to a 13-1 lead. Sellers added another 3-pointer and the Huskies led 22-9 after one quarter.

Mia Jacobs' three-point play capped a 15-0 run for Oregon and the Ducks rallied to take a 28-27 into halftime. Washington did not score after Elle Ladine sank a jumper to give the Huskies a 14-point lead with 8:29 left in the quarter.

Howell and Sellers had back-to-back baskets to begin the second half and Washington moved back in front. The lead changed hands three times before Sellers and Howell had the final two baskets of the quarter for a 37-34 advantage.

Freshman Brynn McGaughy had a three-point play to begin the final period for a six-point lead and the Huskies stayed in front from there. Sarah Rambus scored in the paint to cut the deficit to two before the Ducks went scoreless over the final 3:47.

Washington shot 38.3% overall and made 6 of 19 from beyond the arc. Oregon shot 30.9% overall and missed 9 of 10 from distance.

Up next

Oregon: Hosts Nebraska on Thursday.

Washington: At No. 2 UCLA on Thursday.

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The basketball was elite. The building was electric. But before a single jumper fell inside the $2 billion palace known as Intuit Dome, the loudest roar of the day belonged to two people who weren’t in uniform.

When Barack Obama and Michelle Obama appeared on the video board before tipoff of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, the crowd cheered and applauded. Not polite applause. Not celebrity courtesy claps. A full-throated ovation that reminded everyone this league has always been bigger than basketball.

Huge ovation for Barack and Michelle Obama at the NBA All-Star Game pic.twitter.com/rSBITsJYq4

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 15, 2026

The Obamas, seated next to Hall of Famer Julius Erving, felt like the center of a night built on spectacle. During an NBC interview with Reggie Miller, the former president addressed the elephant that has hovered over All-Star Weekend in recent years — effort. “Anytime you get Americans vs. International, they want to bring it,” he said. And for once, he was right. The pride between all three teams was palpable.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat a few rows away, British royalty meeting hardwood royalty.

MEGHAN and HARRY! pic.twitter.com/qGq80njfIJ

— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 15, 2026

The NBA legends were everywhere. Magic Johnson. Allen Iverson. Oscar Robertson. Pau Gasol. Dwyane Wade. Vince Carter. Tracy McGrady. Carmelo Anthony. The past and present colliding under one roof as current stars like Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Damian Lillard soaked in the moment.

Even the entertainment world felt courtside-ready: Jennifer Hudson, Ludacris, Glorilla, Tyla, Brandy, Busta Rhymes, Anthony Anderson, Shaboozey, Charlie Puth, Gayle King, Kelly Rowland, Keegan Michael Key, Teyana Taylor, John Tesh, 2 Chainz, Sterling K. Brown, Queen Latifah, Simu Liu, Spike Lee and Vin Diesel turned the sideline into a living mood board of American pop culture.

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Rams head coach Sean McVay was there with his wife, as were other NFL stars like Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and former Chargers WR Keenan Allen.

That’s the thing about the NBA All-Star Game. It isn’t just a basketball exhibition. It’s a census of influence. Music, politics, fashion, film, sport — all orbiting around a leather ball and a hardwood stage in Inglewood.

California Post Senior Sports Reporter Edward Lewis contributed to this story.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game was an unquestioned success. The convoluted USA vs. the World format made the game competitive for three of the four quarters, which hasn’t happened in at least three decades. Watching the best players in the world participate in a game that somewhat resembled basketball was awesome. For once, the product actually lived up to the billing

This, however, isn’t the first time an innovation format worked in its initial go-around. The 2018 version, after they introduced team captains, had an exciting ending. And the 2020 game that used the Elam ending was one of the best finishes in recent memory.

The league hasn’t struggled to find new formats that work. The issue has been making them do so for more than just one season. Each of the previous changes led to the same issues the following year, which inevitably caused additional alterations.

Like most of the issues the NBA has been trying to tackle under Adam Silver, they’re trying to fix it by not addressing the actual problem.

The All-Star Game format wasn’t broken on its own. There’s a reason basketball is played under the same rules around the world. The real issue was a lack of effort from the players. And there’s no way to really legislate around that with format changes.

The NBA has tried to fix other issues in similar heavy-handed ways.

They wanted to increase the competitiveness of games down the stretch, so they made up the Play-In Tournament. They wanted to make games more meaningful at the beginning of the season, so they created the NBA Cup. They wanted to end load management, so they instituted a 65-game minimum requirement for awards. They wanted to limit tanking, so they flattened the lottery odds and may make further changes.

These innovations are all somewhat justified on their own, but none of them have meaningfully addressed the actual long-term issues.

The problem with playoff seeding not mattering and the start of the season dragging is the fact that too many teams make the playoffs. If you wanted the regular season to really mean something, you’d cut the number of playoff participants to four in each conference. Although, that wouldn’t seriously be discussed since the league would never get rid of an entire playoff round.

Load management is needed because the regular season is too long, given how fast the game is played. But the league isn’t going to attack either of those issues. They don’t want to shorten the season, and they aren’t going to move to a less offense-friendly style of play. So instead, we have the best player — Nikola Jokic — ineligible for regular-season awards.

And lastly, there’s nothing you can do to keep teams from being bad. Making it harder for them to improve through the draft is just going to keep them where they are, which encourages more teams to tank, instead of fewer.

The league isn’t interested in actually fixing the issues that they see within their product. Instead, they’re content to add band-aid solutions that help alleviate some of the symptoms, but do little to solve the core problem.

And every time you make one of these alterations, you’re signaling to everyone that this thing is broken. Nobody proposes drastic changes to something that is working fine.

In the end, the NBA is left waving giant red flags at known problems, while also not meaningfully confronting any of the root issues. This creates an environment where those paid to comment on the league spend most of their energy talking about what’s wrong and proposing narrow-minded solutions, instead of discussing what’s happening on the court.

The NFL has many of the same problems as the NBA, they just don’t seem to care. Teams tank down the stretch for draft position, some of their weekly on-field offerings are downright awful (I’m looking at you, Thursday Night Football), and the Pro Bowl is a complete joke.

But instead of drawing attention to those things, the NFL keeps rolling and highlights what is working.

When you create an environment that the NBA has, where it’s constantly talking about what’s wrong and trying to fix things that they really don’t have the financial incentive to solve, you only magnify the issues.

If they merely admitted that the All-Star Game was never great and just a glorified exhibition, you would’ve saved yourself from the annual negative press that comes after another disappointing weekend. If you just accepted that the playoffs were really what’s important — and teams should do whatever they can to position themselves best for them — then you’d have the ability to celebrate those three months. And if you just came to terms with bad teams existing and created a system that allowed them to get better, you wouldn’t have the same perennial losers at the bottom of the league year after year.

Or if you want to change these things, actually do so.

Yes, this All-Star Game was a success, but recent history tells us it won’t be next season. And until the league is merely okay with this event being the same mediocre product it’s always been for anyone over the age of 18, it’s going to keep being stuck in this loop of inviting criticism and fixes, without being interested in truly solving the root problems. Which is where the association has been under Silver’s entire tenure.

No real fixes. Just temporary solutions that frustrate everyone eventually.