Young Stars Pave the 2026 NBA Awards

The 2025-26 NBA season paved a new generation of stars. The league is rapidly changing into a new era, which is clearly highlighted by the award winners and runner-ups for this season. 

At the center of attention was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or better known as SGA, from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who has cemented himself as an elite guard by winning his second straight Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. OKC’s superstar averaged 31.1 points and helped lead his team to the best regular-season record in franchise history. 

SGA’s MVP award did not come easy, though. Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets continued to put up historic numbers this season in a chase of his fourth MVP award. Jokic averaged a triple-double for his second season in a row. He put up 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. Denver’s star center was right down SGA’s neck, trying to get the MVP award. 

Victor Wembanyama tried to make a push for the MVP race, too, as he led the San Antonio Spurs to a jaw-dropping regular season. But Wemby just fell short of both SGA and Jokic with his 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. He crafted the Spurs into one of the league’s highest-rated defensive teams and ended up winning Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). The league and fans alike believe this is the first of many DPOY trophies for Wemby, thanks to his ability to alter games by protecting the paint like no other, making other teams scared to drive into him. 

The rookie class also delivered an exciting race with VJ Edgecomb from the Philadelphia 76ers, Cooper Flagg from the Dallas Mavericks, and Kon Knuppel from the Charlotte Hornets, continuously moving up and down the ladder each night to try to secure Rookie of the Year (ROY). Ultimately, Flagg walked away with ROY after he had a breakout season and averaged 21 points per game for the Mavericks. He narrowly beat Knuppel by 26 points, making it the smallest gap in voting since the 2002-03 NBA season. Knuppel also had a standout season for the Hornets, becoming the first-ever rookie to lead the entire NBA in three-pointers, and he obliterated the original all-time rookie record for three-pointers in a season with 273. 

Elsewhere, the league continued to improve with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, cousin of SGA and guard for the Atlanta Hawks, winning the Most Improved Player. In his previous seasons in the NBA, he was seen as another solid role player, but this season, with Trae Young gone, he evolved into a two-way playmaker and reliable scorer for the Hawks. He went from a mere 9.4 points per game last season to a double-digit 20.8 this season, earning himself the Most Improved Player.

Sixth Man of the Year went to Keldon Johnson from the San Antonio Spurs. Johnson thrived this season, coming off the bench and bringing intense energy to the court and his teammates for the young Spurs team that is rapidly growing. 

Clearly, the league is headed into a new era with young stars emerging and dominating the league.