Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs has been named a first-time MVP finalist
Victor Wembanyama, a standout in his third year with the San Antonio Spurs, has been named a first-time candidate for the NBA Most Valuable Player award, joining Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as announced by the league on Sunday.
The league revealed the MVP finalists, as well as the contenders for the other awards for the 2025-26 season, during the broadcast of the opening game of the Orlando Magic versus Detroit Pistons playoff series on NBC.
Wembanyama, a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, achieved a career-high average of 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds while also leading the league with 3.1 blocks per game. At just 22 years old, he would become the youngest MVP in league history, a few months younger than Derrick Rose in the 2010-11 season.
To achieve this, he must surpass the last two league MVPs: Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game while claiming his first MVP last season, and Jokic, who posted 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, securing his third MVP in the 2023-24 season.
Detroit’s Ausar Thompson and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren stand as the other two finalists for DPOY, with Wembanyama being the clear favorite to secure the award.
Among the first four selections in last year’s draft, three have emerged as finalists for Rookie of the Year. The recognition was earned by No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg of Dallas, who averages 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game; No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe of Philadelphia, with averages of 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game; and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel of Charlotte, who scores an average of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and leads the league with 273 made 3-pointers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Atlanta, Deni Avdija from Portland, and Jalen Duren from Detroit have been named the three finalists for the Most Improved Player award. In his inaugural season in Atlanta, Alexander-Walker recorded an average of 20.8 points, which is 9.8 points higher than his best performance in any of his first six seasons. Avdija recorded a career-high average of 24.2 points, while Duren, also a first-time All-Star, averaged 19.5 points, significantly surpassing his previous season’s average of 11.8.
Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Nuggets, Jaime Jaquez Jr. from Miami, and Keldon Johnson of San Antonio have been named the finalists for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Anthony Edwards from Minnesota, Jamal Murray from Denver, and Gilgeous-Alexander are the finalists for the Clutch Player of the Year award. Each of them stands to be a first-time recipient of the award, which is set to be presented for the fourth time this year.
Finalists for Coach of the Year include three coaches from the top two-seeded teams: J.B. Bickerstaff of Detroit, Mitch Johnson of San Antonio, and Joe Mazzulla of Boston. The winner will be a first-time COTY.
This coming week, the award winners will be announced during playoff broadcasts, beginning on Monday with the Defensive Player of the Year, followed by the Clutch Player on Tuesday, the Sixth Man on Wednesday, and concluding with the Most Improved Player on Friday.
Finalists for NBA awards Victor Wembanyama, a standout in his third year with the San Antonio Spurs, has been named a first-time candidate for the NBA Most Valuable Player award, joining Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as announced by the league on Sunday.
The league revealed the MVP finalists, as well as the contenders for the other awards for the 2025-26 season, during the broadcast of the opening game of the Orlando Magic versus Detroit Pistons playoff series on NBC.
Wembanyama, a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, achieved a career-best average of 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds while also leading the league with 3.1 blocks per game. At just 22 years old, he would become the youngest MVP in league history, a few months younger than Derrick Rose in the 2010-11 season.
To achieve this, he must surpass the last two league MVPs: Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game while securing his first MVP last season, and Jokic, who recorded 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, earning his third MVP in the 2023-24 season.
Ausar Thompson from Detroit and Chet Holmgren from Oklahoma City are the other two finalists for DPOY, with Wembanyama being the strong favorite to take home the award.
Among the finalists for Rookie of the Year, three were selected in the first four picks of last year’s draft. The No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg from Dallas, averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The No. 3 pick, VJ Edgecombe from Philadelphia, recorded 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Meanwhile, the No. 4 pick, Kon Knueppel from Charlotte, achieved an average of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and a league-high 273 made three-pointers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Atlanta, Deni Avdija from Portland, and Jalen Duren from Detroit have been named the three finalists for the Most Improved Player award. In his inaugural season in Atlanta, Alexander-Walker recorded an average of 20.8 points, which is 9.8 points higher than his highest average in any of his first six seasons. Avdija recorded a career-high average of 24.2 points, while Duren, also a first-time All-Star, averaged 19.5 points, significantly surpassing his previous season’s average of 11.8.
Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Nuggets, Jaime Jaquez Jr. from Miami, and Keldon Johnson of San Antonio have been named the finalists for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Anthony Edwards from Minnesota, Jamal Murray from Denver, and Gilgeous-Alexander are the finalists for the Clutch Player of the Year award. Each of them stands to become a first-time recipient of the award, which is set to be presented for the fourth time this year.
Finalists for Coach of the Year include three coaches from the top two seeded teams: J.B. Bickerstaff of Detroit, Mitch Johnson of San Antonio, and Joe Mazzulla of Boston. The winner will be a first-time COTY.
The announcement of award winners will commence this week during playoff broadcasts, beginning on Monday with the Defensive Player of the Year, followed by the Clutch Player on Tuesday, the Sixth Man on Wednesday, and concluding with the Most Improved Player on Friday.
Finalists for NBA awards
Most Valuable Player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
Nikola Jokic (Denver)
Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio)
Rookie of the Year
VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia)
Cooper Flagg (Dallas)
Kon Knueppel (Charlotte)
Defensive Player of the Year
Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City)
Ausar Thompson (Detroit)
Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio)
Most Improved Player
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Atlanta)
Deni Avdija (Portland)
Jalen Duren (Detroit)
Sixth Man of the Year
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Denver)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami)
Keldon Johnson (San Antonio)
Clutch Player of the Year
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
Jamal Murray (Denver)
Coach of the Year
J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit)
Mitch Johnson (San Antonio)
Joe Mazzulla (Boston)
