The NBA’s regular-season awards do more than hand out trophies. They help define the season, spotlight the players who shaped it and, in some cases, mark the beginning of a new era.
With more honors scheduled to be announced throughout the week, this running tracker will be updated as each winner is revealed.
Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Keldon Johnson is the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, earning the award for a season in which he brought toughness, scoring and stability to San Antonio’s bench. On a Spurs team built around youth and growth, Johnson gave the rotation an experienced presence and dependable production.
His case was not only about points. Johnson helped set a tone with his physicality, rebounding, and willingness to do a little bit of everything, which the Spurs will need every bit of in this first round against Portland, with their defensive player of the year, Wemby, potentially out with a concussion.
Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the winner the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award, in what may be several year-end awards for the Canadian. The Thunder guard has built a reputation as one of the league’s steadiest late-game scorers, and this award puts that part of his game front and center.
Named for Jerry West, the award recognizes the player who delivers when the game gets tight. For Gilgeous-Alexander, it reflects the calm, controlled style that has made him a difficult match-up, especially in the closing moments of the game.
Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
France’s Victor Wembanyama is the NBA’s 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year, giving the Spurs star his first major regular-season award and another milestone in a career that is moving fast. At 22-years-old, he is the youngest player to win Defensive Player of the Year, and he is also the first unanimous winner in the award’s history.
This places Wembanyama, alongside some of the league’s best defenders, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart, and many more. Gobert, Mutombo and Wallace are tied for the most DPOY wins with four each.
For Wembanyama, the win feels less like a surprise than a checkpoint on his NBA journey. This once in a lifetime talent, representing the next generation of the NBA and its international influence, has already become the kind of defender who erases the easy shot, cleans up mistakes, and makes teams rethink how they want to attack the paint. Now he has the award to prove it.
The NBA will announce additional awards throughout the week: Sportsmanship, and Most Improved. The MVP is typically announced mid-March.