Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Lead 2026 NBA Awards Finalists

The NBA released its regular-season award finalists during NBC’s broadcast of Sunday night’s first-round playoff game. Announcements were split between pregame and halftime. The league held MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year reveals for the halftime break.

Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headline the list of 2026 NBA Awards finalists. The field covers clutch performers, defenders, role players and breakthrough stars. Filmogaz.com summarizes the nominees and key numbers.

Clutch Player of the Year

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) — Led the NBA with 175 points in clutch time. The Thunder were 20-7 in those situations with SGA and his clutch plus-minus was +93.
• Jamal Murray (Denver) — Scored 166 clutch points, shooting 52.2% overall and 44.1% from three. Denver ranked fifth in clutch-time offensive efficiency.
• Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) — Posted 135 clutch points, sixth in the league, on 56.5% shooting. The eligibility rules for this award differ from other league policies.

Defensive Player of the Year

• Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio) — Led the league in blocks for a third straight season. San Antonio finished third in team defense, with defensive efficiency swinging by more than 10 points depending on his minutes.
• Ausar Thompson (Detroit) — Led the NBA with 2.0 steals per game. He helped Detroit to the league’s second-best defense and matched a Pistons franchise steal mark set in 1978-79.
• Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City) — Anchor of the NBA’s top defense. The Thunder improved defensive performance by 5.6 points when Holmgren was on court.

Most Improved Player

• Deni Avdija (Portland) — Averaged career highs with 24.2 points and 6.7 assists. He posted three triple-doubles this season.
• Jalen Duren (Detroit) — Played a central role in Detroit earning the East’s No. 1 seed for the first time since 2006-07. He formed the Pistons’ first All-Star duo in nearly 20 years alongside Cade Cunningham.
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Atlanta) — Averaged a career-high 20.8 points after a sign-and-trade move to the Hawks. He recorded ten 30-point games, doubling his previous six-year total.

Sixth Man of the Year

• Keldon Johnson (San Antonio) — Did not start any games yet played all 82. He scored 1,081 points, second among reserves, as the Spurs won 62 games.
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami) — Posted career-highs with 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Miami went 13-5 when he recorded at least seven assists.
• Tim Hardaway Jr. (Denver) — Shot a career-best 40.7% from three. The Nuggets were 12-5 when he scored 20 or more points.

Most Valuable Player

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) — Could become the first guard to win consecutive MVPs since 2015-16. He joined an elite group by averaging 30 points in four separate seasons.
• Nikola Jokic (Denver) — A fourth MVP would place him among the game’s four-time winners. He became the third player in history to average a season-long triple-double, and did it again this year.
• Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio) — A third-year candidate whose Spurs won 62 regular-season games. He could become only the second Spurs franchise MVP alongside Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

Coach of the Year

• J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit) — Guided the Pistons to 60 wins, the third-most in franchise history. Detroit aims for its first NBA Finals appearance since 2004.
• Mitch Johnson (San Antonio) — Coached the Spurs to their first playoff berth since 2019. San Antonio went 12-6 when Wembanyama missed games.
• Joe Mazzulla (Boston) — Led Boston to the East’s No. 2 seed despite missing Jayson Tatum for much of the season. The Celtics remain title contenders.

Rookie of the Year

• Cooper Flagg (Dallas) — One of two rookies since 1973-74 to lead his team in total points, rebounds, assists and steals. The Mavericks view him as a foundational piece despite a down year for the franchise.
• Kon Knueppel (Charlotte) — Became the first rookie to lead the league in made three-pointers with 273. His shooting helped Charlotte reach the Play-In Tournament.
• V.J. Edgecombe (Philadelphia) — Played a key role in the 76ers’ playoff push. He stepped up while Philadelphia missed Joel Embiid and Paul George for extended stretches.

Award schedule

The league shared a release with the weekly schedule on April 19, 2026. Winners were set to be announced across the week. Defensive Player, Clutch Player, Sixth Man, Sportsmanship and Most Improved awards were each assigned a day for reveal.

Filmogaz.com will track the winners as the league announces them. The finalists reflect performances across the full regular season and key late-game and defensive metrics.