NBA Announces Finalists For Prestigious Awards

The 2025-26 NBA regular season is officially in the rearview mirror, and you know what that means. It is time to hand out some hardware. The league has officially dropped its finalists for the major end-of-season awards, and frankly, the voting panel had its work cut out for them this year. We are looking at some of the tightest, most heavily debated races in recent basketball history.

Let’s break down the madness, the snubs, and the frontrunners who kept us glued to our screens for the last six months.

The NBA MVP Race is an Absolute Brawl

If you thought last year’s Most Valuable Player debate was toxic, grab some popcorn. The three finalists for the highest individual honor in the NBA are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama.

SGA is sitting pretty right now. The man averaged a ridiculous 31.1 points and 6.6 assists, leading a banged-up Oklahoma City Thunder squad to a league-best 64-18 record. According to early straw polls, SGA is pulling away with the lion’s share of first-place votes. Then you have Jokic, who continues to manipulate basketball games like a chess grandmaster who is already three moves ahead.

And then there is Wembanyama. The Spurs sensation is doing things that actively terrify opposing coaches. We also need to pour one out for Luka Doncic. The Lakers’ superstar put up a video game-like 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, but a Grade 2 hamstring injury kept him at 64 games played. Even with an Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge, he was left off the final ballot. Brutal.

Rookies and Defenders Rewriting the NBA Record Books

The Rookie of the Year race is a pure clash of styles. On one side, you have Dallas Mavericks phenom Cooper Flagg, who dropped 21 points a night and became the youngest player in NBA history to string together 40-point and 50-point performances. On the other side? Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, an absolute sniper who sank 273 three-pointers while shooting 42.5% from deep. Oh, and VJ Edgecombe is lurking in the top three just to keep things interesting.

Over on the defensive end, Wembanyama is the undisputed final boss. He led the league with 3.1 blocks per game, altering shots just by breathing near the paint. He is joined by Chet Holmgren and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson in the Defensive Player of the Year finalist circle.

Clutch Shots and Off-the-Bench Heroes

When the game is on the line, who do you want taking the final shot? The Clutch Player of the Year finalists are a terrifying trio: Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, and SGA. Edwards uses his explosive athleticism to rip the rim down, Murray has that silky-smooth jumper that always seems to find the net in the fourth quarter, and SGA has been carrying the Thunder through crunch time all year.

As for the Sixth Man of the Year, San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson, Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Denver’s trusted veteran Tim Hardaway Jr. are all waiting to hear their names called. Finally, keep an eye on the Most Improved Player race, where Deni Avdija, Jalen Duren, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have officially made the leap from rotational pieces to genuine difference-makers.

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