Our 2026 All-NBA 1st, 2nd and 3rd Team Selections
With the 2025-26 NBA regular season in the books, it's time to acknowledge the best of the best by building our All-NBA teams.
Fortunately, the league granted "extraordinary circumstances" appeals for Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham, both of whom technically fell short of the 65-game requirement for consideration. That felt like the right result from a couple of perspectives.
First: fairness. Both stars barely missed the cutoff, for the birth of a child and a collapsed lung, respectively. Second: historical accuracy. It would have been ridiculous to try to tell the story of the season we just finished without officially acknowledging Dončić's incredible production and Cunningham's central role on the East's top team.
Yes, we've spoiled two of our picks. Dončić and Cunningham are going to feature here. Let's see who else joins them.
First Team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
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2025-26 Stats: 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks
The catch-all metrics loved Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season, just as they did when he won Most Valuable Player in 2024-25. No one topped him in Estimated Plus/Minus, and only Nikola Jokić bettered his plus-11.7 Box Plus/Minus.
He's likely to collect another MVP after scoring over 30.0 points per game and leading the league in made free throws for the fourth straight year.
The main driver of offense on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that, if it has a vulnerability, sometimes struggles to create good shots, SGA was the NBA's most metronomically consistent source of buckets. In March, he broke Wilt Chamberlain's record of 126 straight games with at least 20 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander is still the single toughest one-on-one matchup in the league; no one is more difficult to stay in front of. Add to that his unsurpassed weaponization of the off arm, remarkable ability to avoid turnovers and the addition of a dangerous step-back three, and you've got an unsolvable problem for defenses.
First Team: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
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2025-26 Stats: 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks
As is tradition, no player upped his team's offensive rating more than Nikola Jokić, who juiced the Denver Nuggets' attack by a league-leading 15.2 points per 100 possessions when on the floor. Denver led the league in offensive rating but performed like the 22nd-ranked Utah Jazz on offense without him.
The best evidence of how desensitized we've grown to Jokić's greatness: He became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in assists and rebounds per game. For context, no player had ever done that in separate years. The Joker just went ahead and wrapped them both up.
Still the single most intelligent and creative passer in the game, still gifted with the softest touch around the rim and still the most unselfish superstar in memory, Jokić is all but assured to finish inside the top two in MVP voting for the sixth consecutive season.
First Team: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
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2025-26 Stats: 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.5 blocks, 1.0 steals
Victor Wembanyama probably would have made an All-NBA team if he were merely an average defender. Because he's far and away the best defender in the sport, and well on his way to becoming the best defender of all time, he's an absolute no-brainer inclusion on the First Team.
Wemby's 3.1 blocks per game dramatically undersell his impact as a rim-protector, even though that average led the league. The sheer number of shots he prevents opponents from trying—both near the bucket and outside the paint—is almost impossible to quantify. We know San Antonio Spurs opponents attempted 5.5 percent fewer shots at the rim and 3.4 percent fewer in the short mid-range area when Wemby was in the game (97th and 96th percentile among bigs, respectively), but it's hard to avoid feeling like we simply need to invent a new statistic to capture his impact.
The Spurs outscored teams by 15.2 points per 100 possessions with Wembanyama on the floor, a differential bettered only by Jokić this season (minimum 300 possessions).
We'll look back at this year, marvel at the Spurs winning 62 games and remember 2025-26 as the beginning of Wembanyama's historically dominant tenure.
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First Team: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
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2025-26 Stats: 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks
The Detroit Pistons basically went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference. Cade Cunningham was easily the biggest reason for their season-long excellence.
On a team with no other reliable shot creators (apologies to the late-arriving Daniss Jenkins) and dreadful spacing (apologies to Duncan Robinson), Cunningham shouldered an exceptionally heavy load all year. Every opponent threw their best defenders at him, schemed to get the ball out of his hands and worked to make sure all of his shots were tough. Cunningham still thrived.
Only Jokić had more than Cunningham's 20 games with at least 25 points and 10 assists this season.
Though the conventional averages and team context are enough to land Cunningham here on their own, his case gets an added boost from the work he did defensively. Detroit defined itself on that end of the floor. Cunningham stood out as the best defender among high-usage, All-NBA-caliber wings. He ranked in the 95th percentile at his position in block rate, as he could be relied upon to operate as either the low man or the point-of-attack stopper in different defensive configurations.
First Team: Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
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2025-26 Stats: 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks
Luka Dončić led the league in points, free-throw attempts and made field goals per game. Knocks on his First Team candidacy include rampant complaining to officials and defense that rated closer to "not fatally bad" than objectively good, but those negatives hardly outweigh Dončić's offensive dominance.
Dončić's 38.1 percent usage rate led the league. Remarkably, of the seven previous seasons in which a player had a usage rate that high, none beat Dončić's 61.6 true shooting percentage. That means we just watched one of the most efficient high-volume scoring seasons in NBA history.
Fourth in the league in Estimated Wins, a cumulative total that would have been far higher if Dončić hadn't just barely gained eligibility, he deserves credit for averaging 35.1 minutes per game. Nobody else on the First Team tops him there or in total minutes, where he ranked 32nd in the league.
The foul-drawing craft was as advanced as ever. The step-back three still fell at high rates as the Los Angeles Lakers were 6.1 points per 100 possessions better on offense when he played than when he sat.
Second Team: Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
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2025-26 Stats: 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.4 blocks
It's a big deal when a player as decorated as Kawhi Leonard sets a career best in anything, which is why his personal high of 27.9 points per game stands out. This is a player with a pair of DPOY honors, three top-five MVP finishes, two rings and two Finals MVPs on his resumé.
This past season may not have been the best of Leonard's Hall of Fame career, but it was certainly his most impressive in at least a half-decade.
All that scoring came on a 50.5/38.7/89.2 shooting split that produced a career-high 62.9 true shooting percentage. Digest that: Leonard scored with more volume and greater efficiency than ever before in his age-34 season.
He was easily the toughest cut from the First Team. If you had him up there with SGA, Jokić and Wemby, nobody's going to fault you.
Second Team: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
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2025-26 Stats: 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks
You can find plenty of metrics that say Jaylen Brown has no place here. The Boston Celtics had a markedly better point differential when he was off the floor. His 8.7 Estimated Wins Added just barely makes it into the league's top 30. Derrick White crushes him in BBall Index's LEBRON catch-all.
Don't be a sucker.
The Boston Celtics' complete refusal to treat 2025-26 as a gap year starts with Brown taking on the highest-usage offensive role of his career while also routinely guarding the toughest win on the other team.
He took and made exceptionally difficult two-point jumpers to balance out Boston's otherwise three-heavy attack because nobody else on the roster could fill that role. He powered his way to the foul line 7.5 times per game. He logged 34.4 minutes per game across 71 contests, producing a total of 2,443 minutes that exceeded that of anyone who made First Team.
If Dončić and Cunningham hadn't won their appeals, Brown would have joined Leonard alongside SGA, Jokić and Wemby.
Second Team: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
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2025-26 Stats: 27.9 points, 5.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 0.3 blocks
Donovan Mitchell's seventh straight All-Star season saw him blow away previous career highs with 430 free-throw attempts, 398 assists and a 57.7 percent hit rate on two-point shots. Believe it or not, Mitchell's 1,952 total points were the most he's ever scored in a single year.
All of those personal bests were necessary to keep a Cleveland Cavaliers offense that got next to nothing from Darius Garland prior to the trade deadline afloat. And let's not gloss over how Mitchell willingly scaled back his role while still posting a stellar 59.6 true shooting percentage after James Harden came aboard.
If he'd stayed in his higher-usage spot all season, Mitchell would have had a good shot to make the First Team. Even with the role reduction, the 29-year-old guard still wound up eighth in Estimated Wins Added.
Second Team: Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
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2025-26 Stats: 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 blocks, 0.6 steals
The first player we've covered with less than a 20-point scoring average, Chet Holmgren, was still an easy Second Team pick on the strength of his versatility and defense. Odds are, he'll finish behind only Wembanyama on most DPOY ballots.
The Thunder big man checks in at No. 3 in Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus and No. 2 BBall Index's D-LEBRON catch-all.
For context, Holmgren actually landed closer to Wemby in that second stat than he did to Ausar Thompson, who finished third. Any time a player is in Wembanyama's defensive zip code, it's significant.
Holmgren's mobility allowed him to hold up just fine on perimeter switches, but he truly excelled around the basket. When designated as the primary defender on shots inside six feet, Holmgren held opponents to 48.9 percent shooting—easily the lowest conversion rate permitted by anyone who covered at least five such shots per game.
It's hard to overstate the impact of a 7-footer who can space the floor and score off the dribble, especially when those aren't even his primary drivers of value.
Second Team: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
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2025-26 Stats: 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks
Jalen Brunson continued to function as the New York Knicks singular driver of offense this season, matching last year's 26.0 points per game while appearing in 74 contests and ranking 12th in total minutes played.
Even with new head coach Mike Brown promising more diversity in New York's attack, Brunson salvaged plenty of go-nowhere possessions with his isolation scoring and clever use of screens.
Luka Dončić and Brunson were the only players who ran at least 550 total pick-and-rolls while averaging at least one point per possession this season.
Brunson's footwork and craft in the lane still confound defenders. He's as reliable as late-game shotmakers get.
Nobody's going to make the case that Brunson is a major defensive plus, but give him credit for leading the league with 29 charges drawn.
Third Team: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
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2025-26 Stats: 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.4 steals
A scaled-down offensive role aligned with Scottie Barnes.
The Toronto Raptors forward attempted fewer shots per 100 possessions and posted his lowest usage rate since 2022-23. He didn't exactly fade into the background, as evidenced by a scoring average of 18.1 points per game, but the payoffs of being choosier on offense included the best defense and scoring efficiency of Barnes' career.
The only player in the league to amass at least 100 steals and 100 blocks, Barnes has a great shot to make his first All-Defensive team.
Toronto was 4.2 points per 100 possessions better with Barnes on the floor than off, not an elite figure (74th percentile) but still highly valuable because of his sheer volume of court time. Across 80 games, Barnes amassed a career-high 2,681 minutes. That total ranked sixth in the league.
Third Team: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
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2025-26 Stats: 25.4 points, 7.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks
Jamal Murray turned in the healthiest season of his career, appearing in 75 games and totaling over 2,600 minutes for the first time. Availability wasn't the only reason he finally broke through and made his first All-Star team, but it certainly helped.
The two main pillars of Murray's All-NBA case are his top-flight three-point shooting and success in leading the Denver Nuggets when Nikola Jokić was off the floor. Murray's 43.5 percent hit rate from downtown was the best of his career. It came on 7.5 attempts per game—also the most volume he's ever produced.
Long the biggest drag on Denver's success, the non-Jokić minutes were survivable if Murray was in the game. The Nuggets put up 116.5 points per 100 possessions on offense when Murray played without Jokić, which was a respectable 61st-percentile figure. Their two most-used "Murray on, Jokić off" units battered opponents by over 8.0 points per 100 possessions.
Murray, Jokić and Dončić were the only three players to average at least 25.0 points and 7.0 assists on 60.0 percent true shooting.
Third Team: Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets
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2025-26 Stats: 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.9 blocks, 0.8 steals
The only player to log more minutes than Kevin Durant this season was his teammate Amen Thompson, a 23-year-old with A-plus athleticism and a seeming inability to get tired. We simply aren't spending enough time marveling at KD's durability, particularly given his singularly central role in the Houston Rockets' offense.
Basically, if Durant couldn't generate a late-game bucket, the Rockets couldn't score. It's hard to comprehend how he posted a 64.1 true shooting percentage and racked up 26.0 points per game, given the first-option attention he drew from defenses every night.
None of this is to say we saw the apex version of Durant this year. This is a former MVP we're talking about, one who will appear on everyone's short list of the most gifted scorers ever. That's a high bar.
Note, though, that KD just produced the most prolific scoring season in NBA history for a player his age. No one over 37 had ever scored more than 1,878 points in a season. Karl Malone did that way back in 2000-01. Durant racked up 2,026 points this year in smashing the record.
Third Team: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
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2025-26 Stats: 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.7 blocks
The Miami Heat hung around the league's soft middle for most of this year, but they wouldn't have come close to that modest success without Bam Adebayo propping them up on both ends.
With the versatile center in the game, Miami outscored its opponents by 6.7 points per 100 possessions. When he sat, the number plummeted to minus-4.7.
Adebayo should wind up on the sixth All-Defensive team of his career. You could make the case that he was also the Heat's most important offensive player. His individual scoring and facilitation made him as much of a hub as Miami had in its new offensive attack. Adebayo deserves credit for adapting to a mostly screen-free, uptempo style so effectively.
Bam attempted a career-high 5.5 threes per game, providing stretch on offense, and reaffirmed his place among the game's most matchup-proof defenders.
Oh, he also scored 83 points in a game this year. That seems relevant.
Third Team: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
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2025-26 Stats: 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 0.8 assists
It's hard to imagine where the Philadelphia 76ers would have wound up without Tyrese Maxey this season.
Actually, no, it isn't. The numbers show Philly got smoked, losing its minutes by 5.4 points per 100 possessions whenever Maxey was off the court. That dependence was part of the reason he logged 38.0 minutes per game, the highest average among players with at least 70 appearances in the past decade.
He and Dončić were the only players in the league this year to amass at least 1,900 points, 400 assists and 100 steals.
For centuries to come, historians will study Maxey's incredible knack for finishing high-speed, right-handed floaters while jumping off the wrong foot. It's a true superpower. It makes the Sixers guard one of the toughest covers in the sport.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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