Here’s the latest on the 2026 NBA Awards as of now.
Who won or is favored
- MVP: Victor Wembanyama is the leading candidate and many outlets peg him as the front-runner for the 2026 MVP, given his impact and elite per-game numbers across the season.[7]
- Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama is frequently mentioned in early discussions as a top contender, with several analysts predicting him to contend for DPOY as a rookie-eligible standout on defense.[2][8]
- Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are among the top rookies mentioned in finals discussions, with debates about eligibility rules affecting ROY outcomes this season.[4][5][2]
- Finals-season finalists: Several players are repeatedly noted as finalists across different awards, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo, Jalen Duren, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker among others depending on the specific award.[1][4]
Award finalists and voting context
- The NBA typically unveils finalists before announcing winners, with official finalists for seven major regular-season awards usually disclosed in mid-to-late April, ahead of the playoffs.[3]
- Public-facing previews and expert rundowns (via sports media) continue through April and early May as ballots circulate among media members and league personnel.[1][3][4]
Key dates to watch
- Final winner announcements for the 2025-26 season awards typically occur in late April to early May, aligning with the NBA playoffs schedule for the year.[3][4]
- The season’s award coverage ramps up with pregame/halftime announcements for certain awards on NBC telecasts, followed by full post-season announcements.[3]
A quick example of where to check for updates
- ESPN maintains a historicalAwards page with yearly winners and finalists, which is a solid reference for confirmed winners as they are released.[7]
- Sporting News and HoopsHype provide contemporaneous reporting on finalists and outcomes, useful for tracking live results and expert prognostications.[4][1]
Note
- If you’d like, I can pull the latest confirmed winners as they’re announced and summarize the final tallies for each category (MVP, DPOY, ROY, MIP, Sixth Man, Coach of the Year, and Clutch Player). I can also create a concise table comparing finalists and outcomes once official results are published.
Sources
In addition to White, this year’s other finalists were Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, Warriors big man Al Horford, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Pacers guard T.J. McConnell. McConnell finished as the runner-up and actually earned the most first-place votes, receiving 83 to White’s 77. However, the Celtics guard had the significant edge in second-place votes (113) over McConnell (72) and finished with 2,827 total points, comfortably beating out McConnell’s...
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www.sportingnews.comCheck out this database of MVPs, Defensive Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and more all on ESPN.com's NBA Awards page.
www.espn.comThe finalists for the 7 major regular-season awards will be revealed tonight at 6 p.m. ET on NBC.
www.nba.comWhich stars will be taking home hardware from the 2025-26 NBA season?
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