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NBA Crowns New First Team, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Repeats — Melanin News | Melanin
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NBA Crowns New First Team, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander RepeatsSports

NBA Crowns New First Team, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Repeats

1w ago

The National Basketball Association has officially wrapped up its individual awards for the 2025-26 season, announcing the highly anticipated All-NBA teams on Sunday, May 25, 2026. The First Team selection is a major honor, and this year's lineup showcases the league's most dominant talent, with its composition closely reflecting the top finishers in the MVP race, a trend seen in the previous season as well.

The 2025-26 All-NBA First Team features an elite five: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. This prestigious group underscores their exceptional performances throughout the season, with each player having made a significant impact on their respective teams and the league at large.

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Leading the charge is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player on Sunday, May 18, 2026. This marks his second consecutive MVP honor, a remarkable achievement that places him among an exclusive group of basketball legends. He is only the 14th player in NBA history to win the award in back-to-back seasons, and the first guard to do so since Stephen Curry. The eight-year NBA veteran, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, appeared in 68 games, where he averaged an impressive 31.1 points on 55.3% shooting, including 38.6% from beyond the arc. He also dished out a career-high 6.6 assists, grabbed 4.3 rebounds, and notched 1.40 steals per game, guiding the Thunder to a league-best 64-18 record.

Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP campaign was statistically dominant, as he led the entire NBA in overall win shares with 15.2 and in clutch points with 175. His consistent high-level play was a critical factor in his team's success. Upon receiving his MVP award, Gilgeous-Alexander publicly shared his thoughts, stating, "You try so hard throughout the season to, like, not think about it, and just worry about playing basketball, getting better and trying to win games, but as a competitor and as a kid dreaming about the game, it's always in the back of your mind. I'm very thankful to be decided [the winner] by the ballot. None of it's possible without the guys behind me."

The MVP voting saw Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP himself from the 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2023-24 seasons, finish as the runner-up. Victor Wembanyama, who had already made history by being unanimously named the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year on April 20, 2026—making him the youngest player ever to receive that honor—secured third place in the MVP race. Luka Doncic, who led the entire NBA in scoring for the 2025-26 season with 33.48 points per game, placed fourth in MVP voting. This All-NBA First Team selection marks Doncic's sixth All-NBA honor by the age of 27, a feat that puts him in the company of NBA greats like Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Pettit. Rounding out the top five in MVP voting and earning his first career All-NBA First Team selection was Cade Cunningham.

NBA Most Valuable Player
NBA Most Valuable Player Source

The close alignment between the All-NBA First Team and the MVP voting results reflects a continuity from the 2024-25 season. In that year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also claimed the MVP award, with Nikola Jokic as the runner-up. The 2024-25 All-NBA First Team featured Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, and Tatum receiving unanimous selections.

These annual All-NBA selections are pivotal, recognizing the league's top performers as determined by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Significant changes were introduced to the voting criteria starting with the 2023-24 season, including a shift to positionless voting for All-NBA teams, moving away from the traditional format of two guards, two forwards, and one center. Additionally, a new eligibility threshold of 65 games played out of the 82 regular-season games was implemented for most major individual awards, including All-NBA selections, aimed at promoting greater player participation throughout the season.

Such selections carry substantial weight for players, profoundly impacting their legacies, bolstering their Hall of Fame consideration, and potentially influencing their contract eligibility, including opportunities for supermax extensions. The consistent presence of superstars like Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo in both MVP discussions and All-NBA First Team selections over recent years underscores their sustained dominance and immense influence on the league's landscape. These honors solidify their places as the premier talents in professional basketball.