INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Edwards won the Most Valuable Player award while leading his “Stars” team past their fellow Americans on the “Stripes” team 47-21 to win the final of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star claimed his first All-Star MVP award with a tying 3-pointer in the first round-robin game followed by eight points in the final, which was the only chapter without a dramatic late finish in this mini-tournament comprising the main event of All-Star weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome.

The NBA’s fourth format in four years matched two teams of American All-Stars against a team representing the World, hoping to stoke nationalistic passion from players and fans during an Olympic year.

USA Stars guard Anthony Edwards lifts the MVP trophy after the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The slightly older Stripes had beaten the slightly younger Stars on De’Aaron Fox’s 3-pointer at the buzzer in the second 12-minute, round-robin game. But Edwards led the Stars to victory in the rematch with the Stripes, who appeared to run out of gas while playing in their third straight mini-game.

“We chose to compete today, and we came out on top,” Edwards said. “I ain’t going to lie, Wemby set the tone. He came out and played hard, and we had to follow that.”

Indeed, Victor Wembanyama effectively challenged his fellow All-Stars to take this game seriously, and they largely appeared to do it. Despite going 0-2, Wembanyama led the World team in scoring in both games with 14 points in the opener and 19 in the third game.

Along with the late-game theatrics, the event generally appeared to be played at a higher level of competitiveness than most All-Star Games in recent years, suggesting the league might have finally cracked the code on the long-standing question of how to make this midseason showcase more entertaining.

“It was a pretty good display of basketball,” Wembanyama said. “Better than last year, in my opinion. It was fun. … I think being honest with ourselves is good. It’s a game we love, it’s a game I personally cherish, so being competitive is the least I can do.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver thanked the All-Stars for playing hard when he presented the championship trophy to the Stars.

Kawhi Leonard thrilled his home crowd with a 31-point barrage for the Stripes in the final round-robin game, but he managed just one point in the final. Tyrese Maxey led the Stars with nine points in the clincher.

Scottie Barnes won the opening 12-minute game for the Stars with a game-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT.

After Fox’s dagger in the second game, Leonard utterly dominated the third game before hitting a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the Stripes’ 48-45 victory.

The World team was loaded with talent, but NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic both sat out its second game, likely to preserve the health of two superstars who have struggled with injury in the past month.

John Tesh took the court with his band before the game for a live rendition of “Roundball Rock,” the iconic 1990s theme song of “NBA on NBC,” to mark the league’s return to the network this season. That network partnership is also the reason the All-Star Game was an afternoon affair on the West Coast, because NBC airs the Winter Olympics at night.

The Intuit Dome crowd included former President Barack Obama, who received a standing ovation pregame.

First game

Edwards scored 13 points and forced overtime on a 3-pointer with 13.3 seconds left in regulation to begin the mini-tourney.

Edwards hit a 14-footer to begin the first-to-five-points overtime period. Wembanyama made a 3-pointer, but Raptors star Barnes ended it by draining his only shot of the game.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 10 points, but Norman Powell — a born-and-raised Californian who represents Jamaica internationally — missed a potential winning shot for the World at the regulation buzzer.

NBA scoring leader Doncic played the first 5:05 for the World in the opening game before sitting down. The Lakers superstar hadn’t played since Feb. 5 due to a hamstring strain, but he was determined to play after receiving his sixth All-Star nod.

Second game

Donovan Mitchell took a pass under the net from LeBron James and kicked it out to Fox on the perimeter for the winner.

Jaylen Brown led the Stripes with 11 points, and James scored eight to begin his record 21st All-Star appearance.

Edwards and Cade Cunningham scored 11 points apiece for the Stars.

“Old heads 1-0,” James said with a laugh. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of basketball, so no matter what’s going on, we know how to keep our composure and execute.”

A few hours beforehand, the top scorer in NBA history said the game’s presence in the Los Angeles area meant “nothing, because this is not our building. This is a road game.”

Indeed, the Clippers fans in Intuit Dome booed James and Doncic whenever they touched the ball in the first two games.

Third game

Leonard thrilled his home crowd with a dynamic effort, going 11 of 13 and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. The seven-time All-Star made his first seven shots with five 3-pointers amid raucous cheers from the extra-steep supporters’ section called The Wall behind one basket at this futuristic 18-month-old arena.

He was unstoppable despite a reasonable defensive effort from the World team led by Wembanyama, who scored 19 points before missing a tying 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer.

James put the Stripes ahead with 31 seconds left on a putback dunk, but Wembanyama hit two free throws to tie it before Leonard called game.

Jokic and Doncic didn’t play, leaving the World with just seven players.

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Sunday’s border battle at Wisconsin began in an inauspicious manner for the Minnesota women’s basketball team. However, once the Gophers came around, the Badgers had no hope of keeping pace with their visitors to the west.

Minnesota guard Mara Braun drives on Wisconsin guard Laci Steele during the Gophers’ 83-60 victory Sunday at Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Braun scored a game-high 20 points. (Meghan Bielich/Gophers Athletics)

Minnesota started slow and trailed the host Badgers 18-8 late in the first quarter. Yet after a 12-2 run gave the Gophers their first lead of the game at 21-20, they never looked back en route to an 83-60 victory at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s players put together a number of runs throughout the game to dominate the final three quarters after their early deficit to mark down the team’s eighth consecutive victory.

Minnesota outscored Wisconsin 28-13 in a difference-making second quarter to lead 40-31 at the break after Grace Grocholski’s buzzer-beating three. Down 59-43 with under three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Badgers kept hope alive with a 7-0 run to bring the Gophers’ lead to single digits.

However, a Mara Braun three-pointer with 33 seconds left in the quarter inaugurated a stretch where Minnesota outscored its hosts 14-3 to take a 23-point advantage after a pair of Amaya Battle free throws with just under five minutes to play. The lead hovered around that level for the remainder of the contest before the final horn heralded the Gophers’ 20th victory of the season.

Braun led all scorers with 20 points, with Battle logging 17 points. Sophie Hart contributed 13 points with a team-high six rebounds, while Tori McKinney chipped in 12 points and tied for the game-high with four assists.

With the win, Minnesota (20-6 overall, 11-4 Big Ten) kept the heat on No. 15 Iowa (19-5, 10-3) in the conference standings. The Gophers remain just percentage points behind the Hawkeyes for fourth place, with Iowa scheduled to play at Nebraska (16-9, 5-9) on Monday.

With No. 8 Ohio State (22-4, 11-3) suffering an upset win at home to No. 20 Maryland (21-6, 9-6), Minnesota also pulled ever closer to the Buckeyes for third place in the circuit. Minnesota is currently the only team among the top seven of the Big Ten not to be nationally ranked, though that situation may change when Monday’s latest Associated Press poll is released — the Gophers fell two votes shy in last week’s Top 25 polling.

Coincidentally, the Gophers host Ohio State next, with the Buckeyes paying Williams Arena a visit for a 7 p.m. tip-off Wednesday night. The game will be televised on BTN+.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 in a car owned by Michael Jordan when Chase Elliott crashed as he and Reddick were battling for the win.

Reddick, in a Toyota for 23XI Racing, led only one lap on Sunday: the one to the checkered flag for the team owned by the NBA Hall of Famer and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

“Just incredible how it all played out. Just true Daytona madness,” Reddick said. “I’ve already lost my voice from screaming. Never thought I’d be Daytona 500 champion.”

Neither did Jordan, who met Reddick in victory lane for a bear hug and the two then jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy into the air. Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday, will get a Daytona 500 ring for his birthday and made it known in victory lane he wears a size 13.

“It feels like I won a championship. But until I get my ring, I won’t even know,” Jordan said.

It was a celebration that included multiple stars of NASCAR as Reddick is teammates with Bubba Wallace, who went to victory lane in tears after dominating a huge chunk of the race but finished 10th.

Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace’s ear in a brief speech of encouragement.

“I don’t want my emotions to take away from the monumental day they just accomplished. Happy birthday, MJ. That’s a massive birthday present,” Wallace said. “I thought this was our week, the best 500 I’ve ever had, and come up short, sucks.

“Led a lot of laps, lap leader, I believe. It was a good day for us, but damn. Try again next year.”

Hamlin was also in victory lane after finishing 31st and falling short in his bid to become the third four-time Daytona 500 winner.

Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, was involved in the final caution when he and teammate Christopher Bell collided with nine laps remaining. It set up the final push to the finish over the final four laps.

Elliott had control on the final lap after leader Carson Hocevar was spun off the track and it appeared the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott would finally win his first Daytona 500.

Instead, Reddick made a huge surge, hit Elliott to cause Elliott to crash and sailed past to take Jordan to the Daytona International Speedway victory lane.

Jordan was the face of the December federal antitrust lawsuit that NASCAR settled on the ninth day of trial. The settlement changed the revenue-sharing model in the United States’ top motorsports series.

The victory marked a Daytona sweep for three team owners heavily involved in the trial. Bob Jenkins, who joined 23XI in suing NASCAR, opened the weekend with a victory when Chandler Smith won the Truck Series opener on Friday night for Front Row Motorsports.

Richard Childress, who testified on behalf of 23XI and Front Row and was the subject of disparaging text messages by since-departed NASCAR chairman Steve Phelps, was the winning team owner Saturday when Austin Hill won.

Then came “The Great American Race” and Jordan and Hamlin, the two front-facing litigants got their first Daytona 500 victory.

Former race winners Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano finished second and third as Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford each placed a driver on the podium. Elliott wound up fourth and sat dejected and in disbelief on the outside wall of the track after climbing from his car.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 15: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Castrol Ford, Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, and Zane Smith, driver of the #38 Speedy Cash Ford, and Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Body Guard Ford, spin after an on-track incident to end the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Tyler Reddick, (45) and his son Beau celebrate with the team after winning the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Nigel Cook)