The NBA announced its 2025-26 All-NBA teams Sunday night, and the list reads like a league caught between eras: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić still standing at the summit, Victor Wembanyama arriving there faster than almost anyone could have imagined, Luka Dončić beginning a new All-NBA chapter with the Lakers, and Cade Cunningham turning Detroit’s revival into a first-team coronation.
The First Team was Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, Wembanyama, Dončić and Cunningham. SGA and Jokić were unanimous, each receiving all 100 first-team votes. Wembanyama came one vote short of joining them, finishing with 498 points after a season in which he also became unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. Dončić, now with the Lakers, made his sixth First Team after leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game, while Cunningham earned his first First Team nod after averaging 23.9 points and 9.9 assists for the East-leading Pistons.
The Second Team carried its own weight: Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and Jalen Brunson. Brown led that group with 384 voting points, while Brunson’s selection gave the Knicks another marker in a season that has already become historic in New York. Durant, now with Houston, earned the 12th All-NBA selection of his career, another absurd longevity note in a résumé that refuses to age normally.
The Third Team belonged to Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren and Chet Holmgren. Maxey’s first All-NBA selection doubled as a career checkpoint, while Duren and Holmgren gave the list a frontcourt future tense. This was not just a reward sheet; it was a snapshot of where the league is going.
There was drama, too. Dončić and Cunningham each played only 64 games, one below the 65-game awards threshold, but both successfully appealed and were ruled eligible. Meanwhile, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry were among the stars who did not meet the games-played requirement. Scottie Barnes, Deni Avdija and Karl-Anthony Towns were among the notable players who received votes but missed the cut.
That is what made these teams fascinating. They did not simply crown the season’s best players. They drew lines. Between availability and absence. Between old power and new power. Between players still defending their place and players kicking down the door. The NBA’s future did not arrive quietly Sunday night. It showed up on the First Team.
