2025-26 season · final

Adam'sBasketball Reference

One page for the season that just ended — who won, who led, where every team finished, and what's already changed this summer.

82 games · 30 teams Champion: New York Updated 25 July 2026

The title

New York
Knicks

First championship since 1973 — a 53-year wait

4 games to 1

San Antonio won the first quarter of all five games by a combined 57 points and led Game 4 by as many as 29. New York erased a double-digit deficit in every single game of the series — and won four of them.

  • Finals MVPJalen Brunson
    45 points in the closeout — a Knicks Finals record
  • Head coachMike Brown
  • Road thereSwept Cleveland 4–0 in the East finals. San Antonio survived Oklahoma City in seven.
  • The doubleNew York also beat San Antonio for the 2025 NBA Cup — the first team to win the Cup and the title in the same season.
  • RematchSame two teams as the 1999 Finals, which San Antonio won in five.

Who led the league

Season leaders

Per-game averages across the 2025-26 regular season. Top five in each category.

Points per game

1Luka DončićLAL34.6
2Tyrese MaxeyPHI32.5
3Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOKC31.9
4Giannis AntetokounmpoMIL31.2
5Donovan MitchellCLE30.9

Rebounds per game

1Nikola JokićDEN13.4
2Victor WembanyamaSAS12.9
3Karl-Anthony TownsNYK12.7
4Domantas SabonisSAC12.3
5Jalen DurenDET11.9

Assists per game

1Nikola JokićDEN11.1
2Cade CunninghamDET9.9
3Josh GiddeyCHI9.4
4Luka DončićLAL9.0
5James HardenLAC8.7

Blocks per game

1Victor WembanyamaSAS3.6
2Ryan KalkbrennerCHA2.2
2Alex SarrWAS2.2
4Isaiah StewartDET2.0
5Rudy GobertMIN1.8

Steals per game

1Cason WallaceOKC2.4
2Dyson DanielsATL2.3
3Tre JonesCHI2.1
4Marcus SmartLAL2.0
4Mikal BridgesNYK2.0

Threes made per game

1Stephen CurryGSW4.5
2Donovan MitchellCLE4.0
3Grayson AllenPHX3.9
4Tyrese MaxeyPHI3.8
5Lauri MarkkanenUTA3.7

How everyone finished

Final standings

All 30 teams, ordered by record. The heavy line marks the cut between the playoff field and the play-in.

Eastern Conference

Playoff berth Play-in Eliminated Bar length = win percentage

The trophies

Hardware

Every major individual award from the 2025-26 regular season.

Most Valuable PlayerShai Gilgeous-AlexanderOklahoma City ThunderBack-to-back, and only the 16th player to win the award more than once.
Defensive Player of the YearVictor WembanyamaSan Antonio SpursThe first unanimous winner in the award's history, and the youngest ever at 22.
Rookie of the YearCooper FlaggDallas Mavericks21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists. Second-youngest winner ever, behind LeBron James.
Most Improved PlayerNickeil Alexander-WalkerAtlanta Hawks
Sixth Man of the YearKeldon JohnsonSan Antonio Spurs
Clutch Player of the YearShai Gilgeous-AlexanderOklahoma City Thunder
Coach of the YearJoe MazzullaBoston Celtics56 wins in a season most people expected Boston to step back.
Executive of the YearBrad StevensBoston Celtics
Hustle AwardMoussa DiabatéCharlotte Hornets
SportsmanshipDerrick WhiteBoston Celtics
Teammate of the YearDeAndre JordanNew Orleans Pelicans
Social Justice ChampionBam AdebayoMiami Heat
All-NBA First TeamSGA · Wembanyama · Cunningham · Dončić · Jokić
All-Rookie First TeamFlagg · Knueppel · Edgecombe · Harper · Coward

Summer 2026, so far

The offseason

Nine days after New York lifted the trophy, the league started tearing itself up. The big ones, newest question first.

22 June Giannis Antetokounmpo → Miami Milwaukee ends the saga, sending Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, four first-round picks and a swap.
Late June Jaylen Brown → Philadelphia Boston sends Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and draft compensation — the stunner of free-agency week.
Late June LeBron James leaves Los Angeles After eight seasons with the Lakers, James agrees to a two-year deal with Philadelphia.
Late June LaMelo Ball → Minnesota Charlotte gets Naz Reid and a package of picks back.
Late June Ja Morant → Portland Memphis moves on from its franchise guard.
23 June Julius Randle → Brooklyn Three-team deal with Chicago; Nic Claxton goes to the Bulls, Minnesota moves down the draft board.
July Lu Dort → Atlanta Three-team trade with Oklahoma City and Dallas; the Hawks also land Ryan Nembhard.
Salary cap 26-27$164.96M
Luxury tax$200.43M
First apron$209.02M
Second apron$221.69M

June 2026

Top of the draft

Four prospects had a real case at number one. Only 71 players declared early — the fewest in more than twenty years.

1AJ DybantsaBYU → Washington Wizards
2Darryn PetersonKansas → Utah Jazz
3Cameron BoozerDuke → Memphis Grizzlies
4Caleb WilsonNorth Carolina → Chicago Bulls

One at a time

Tap the ball for a fact from the 2025-26 season.