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Kevin Pelton
Two NBA players have distanced themselves from the league’s other biggest stars in 2025. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of oklahoma city thunder And Nikola Jokic of denver nuggets Battled for MVP of the 2024-25 regular season, split all 100 first-place votes, dueled in perhaps the most memorable series of the 2025 playoffs and are 1-2 again in the first installment MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps,
To some extent, he benefited from injuries that reduced the number of contenders for NBA best player. luka doncic Did not qualify for All-NBA after playing only 50 games last season, despite being selected to the first team jayson tatum has since been sidelined Suffered right Achilles rupture In May. And Victor WembanyamaHis potential reign as Defensive Player of the Year delayed deep vein thrombosis Due to which their 2024–25 season ended prematurely.
Still, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic played at a historic level throughout 2025. Gilgeous-Alexander was metronomic as a scorer for the Thunder, who won their first championship since the franchise’s move to Oklahoma City and started 24–1. Jokic, meanwhile, averaged a triple-double combined with unprecedented efficiency.
at the conclusion of Every year since 2014I have created the fictional Golden Basketball Award, the equivalent of football’s Ballon d’Or, which rewards performance in all domestic and international competitions. In the case of the NBA, this means considering both the regular season and playoffs, which are not typically combined.
Let’s review the nominees and honorable mentions to watch from that year in NBA basketball before choosing a winner between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.
honorable mentions
giannis antetokounmpo, milwaukee bucks
resume: All-NBA First Team
When he was on the court, Antetokounmpo was as impressive as any player outside the top two during 2025. Injuries played a significant role in his and many perennial Golden basketball candidates; Antetokounmpo missed much of November and December with a hamstring injury, potentially ruling him out of All-NBA competition for the 2025-26 season.
Cade Cunningham, detroit pistons
resume: All-NBA Third Team
A successful year earned Cunningham his first All-Star and All-NBA appearance. He built on them by leading the Pistons to the top of the Eastern Conference in the 2025 portion of the current regular season. Cunningham also made his playoff debut, averaging 25.0 points, 8.7 assists and 8.3 rebounds during a hard-fought loss. new York Knicks In the first round of the playoffs.
Anthony Edwards, minnesota timberwolves
resume: All-NBA Second Team
Edwards took off after the calendar turned to 2025 during the regular season, trailing only the top three finishers (Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Antetokounmpo) in MVP voting in wins above replacement players after January 1, according to my WARP metric. He led the Timberwolves to the conference finals for the second consecutive year. Add this up and Edwards had the third-highest WARP in the calendar year. Only the lack of a signature award or playoff run on his resume kept Edwards from becoming a finalist.
Donovan Mitchell, cleveland cavaliers
resume: All-NBA First Team
Don’t blame Mitchell for the Cavaliers’ 2025 failure to deliver on the promise they showed during the 2024-25 regular season. Traditionally a playoff overachiever, he averaged 29.6 points and ranked fifth in total WARP despite Cleveland’s upset. Indiana Pacers In the pre-semi-finals. And Mitchell has been even better so far during 2025-26, valiantly trying to keep the Cavaliers afloat amid mounting injuries to his fellow stars.
finalist
Jalen Brunson, new York Knicks
resume: NBA Cup MVP, All-NBA Second Team
Brunson’s NBA Cup MVP win was the only individual MVP win other than the All-Star Game in which Gilgeous-Alexander was defeated in 2025. Brunson is believed to be getting a lot of help from a Knicks team that is less reliant on him to create offense under Mike Brown. But New York did what the Thunder couldn’t and took down Wembanyama and San Antonio Spurs In the NBA Cup Finals, the Knicks’ roster was crowned champions of the tournament for the first time since 1973.
Naturally, Brunson was also key to New York’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in more than two decades. Despite missing late in the regular season due to injury, Brunson finished 10th in MVP voting and earned a spot on the All-NBA second team.
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
resume: All-NBA Third Team
When midnight struck at the beginning of 2025, Haliburton and the Pacers were struggling mightily. However, since January 1, only three teams have won more games than Indiana, and Haliburton earned his spot on the All-NBA team for the second consecutive year.
This was all just prelude to Haliburton’s playoff run. He led the Pacers to their first NBA Finals since 2000 and finished second to Gilgeous-Alexander in playoff WARP. If anything, it may diminish Haliburton’s importance to Indiana. Historic period of impossible comebackOften impresses with his fearless shotmaking. Had it not been for a heartbreaking Achilles tear during Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Haliburton might have been the strongest challenger for this year’s winner.
Nikola Jokic, denver nuggets
resume: All-NBA First Team
After consecutive Golden Basketball wins in 2023 and 2024, Jokic was the clear runner-up this year. He finished second in MVP voting and in the 2025 portion of the MVP straw poll and watched his Nuggets get defeated by the Thunder in an epic conference semifinal matchup that went the distance.
Given Jokic’s historic production, which saw him average a triple-double in 2024-25 and then improve on those marks this season, his second-place finish is no reflection on performance. This is entirely a matter of Gilgeous-Alexander reaching new heights of his own.
And the winners are…
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, oklahoma city thunder
resume: MVP, Finals MVP
Game 4 of the NBA Finals was the defining moment of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2025. The Thunder unexpectedly trailed 2–1 in the series and trailed Indiana by seven points until the fourth quarter, with Gilgeous-Alexander matching the Pacers (17 points) with his 15 points in the final period. His seven points in 71 seconds gave Oklahoma City a 111–104 win after trailing by four.
However, more than the MVP moments, Gilgeous-Alexander separated himself from the group with consistency. His streak of consecutive 20-point games during the regular season reached triple digits in December, second only to Wilt Chamberlain In NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed one of the most impressive years in NBA history: He was tops in WARP during the playoffs, through the 2024-25 portion of the 2024-25 regular season and is No. 1 again so far in 2025-26.
Previous winners:
2014, Lebron James, cleveland cavaliers
2015, Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2016, Lebron James, cleveland cavaliers
2017, Lebron James, cleveland cavaliers
2018, Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers
2019, kawhi leonard, LA Clippers
2020, Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers
2021, giannis antetokounmpo, milwaukee bucks
2022, luka doncic, dallas mavericks
2023, Nikola Jokic, denver nuggets
2024, Nikola Jokic, denver nuggets
