As every year, 15 players are honoured across the three All-NBA Teams as the league’s best. This time there were no real shocks, apart from Wembanyama becoming the second French player to make the All-NBA First Team since Joakim Noah in 2014.
Because while Nikola Jokić keeps sitting on his throne with almost ridiculous consistency, he is no longer alone at the top. Around the Serbian genius, a new wave has settled in for good. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham and Luka Dončić make up a First Team that sums up the NBA right now: generational talent, box-office appeal, influence and the ability to drag a whole franchise on their back.
Shai and Jokić, excellence has become routine
The 2025-26 @Kia All-NBA First Team!
Cade Cunningham
Luka Dončić
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Nikola Jokić
Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/gRGwvfqfX6— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2026
There is something fascinating about the seasons put together by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić. When you are that good for that long, you almost make greatness look ordinary. Both men were picked for the First Team on all 100 ballots. Rare unanimity. No debate. No fuss.
On one side, Shai has confirmed his status as the Thunder’s outright leader, driving Oklahoma City to the top of the Western Conference with surgical efficiency and ice-cold composure.
On the other, Jokić keeps redefining what a centre can be in the modern game. He runs the offence like a point guard, controls the tempo like a veteran, and wrecks defences with frightening ease. At this point, he is not just playing the opposition. He is taking on history.
Wembanyama and Cunningham, promise has become reality
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2025-26 Kia All-NBA Team.
The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7NbX05bwr2
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 24, 2026
For a long time, Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham were talked up as the NBA’s future. In 2026, they are very much the present. Wembanyama missed a unanimous spot by just one vote. That tells you everything about his scale of impact. Defensively, he is already one of the most terrifying players on the planet. Offensively, his arsenal seems to grow every month. Barely a few seasons into his career, the Frenchman is no longer being sold as a freak show. He is a benchmark.
The same goes for Cade Cunningham. Held back for too long by injuries and Detroit’s mess, the guard has finally dragged the Pistons to the top end of the East. Technical leader, emotional leader, leader full stop. His rise mirrors a franchise that is slowly but surely clawing its way back into the contender conversation. This First Team selection feels less like a prize and more like confirmation.
Luka remains Luka
Then there is Luka Dončić. The Slovenian has changed teams, changed surroundings, changed context. Some things, though, stay the same, namely his offensive genius, which still makes him one of the most feared players in the league. When he is on the floor, everything seems easier. Impossible passes suddenly make sense, contested shots look open, and even the best prepared defences eventually crack.
In a league overflowing with talent, Dončić remains a permanent member of the very small club of players who can decide the fate of a season. We saw the perfect example of that with the Lakers, who could not recover after losing their All-Star guard in the playoffs. He also nearly ended up with no end-of-season awards at all after playing 64 games, one short of the missed-games threshold, before an appeal gave him the league’s approval to qualify for the honours.
Durant, Leonard and the veterans refuse to fade away
The 2025-26 @Kia All-NBA Second Team!
Jaylen Brown
Jalen Brunson
Kevin Durant
Kawhi Leonard
Donovan Mitchell pic.twitter.com/Ul1HYhXbuq— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2026
If youth owns the headline spots, the old guard has not handed back the keys yet. Kevin Durant lands his 12th All-NBA selection and joins an extremely small group in league history. At 37, the wing keeps collecting honours with almost rude elegance. Kawhi Leonard adds a seventh selection to his record, while Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson confirm their place among the most reliable stars in the league.
The Second Team feels like a bridge between two eras. Players who have seen it all, but can still go toe-to-toe with the new rulers of the sport.
The 2025-26 @Kia All-NBA Third Team!
Jalen Duren
Chet Holmgren
Jalen Johnson
Tyrese Maxey
Jamal Murray pic.twitter.com/J83VOcT0o2— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2026
As for the Third Team, the results are hardly a shock. Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray and Jalen Johnson are rewarded for excellent seasons. Chet Holgrem continues to shine in OKC on defense, while Jalen Duren in Detroit rounds off a superb regular season and a strong case for Most Improved Player.
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A page turns for LeBron, Curry and Giannis
As ever, the omissions tell their own story. For only the second time in 23 seasons, LeBron James is absent from any All-NBA team. Not because his level has dropped, but because of the 65-game minimum rule.
Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo suffer the same fate. It ends remarkable selection streaks and underlines a hard truth: availability matters as much as performance now.
Their names are still etched into league history. This year, though, the spotlight falls elsewhere.
The future is already here
This 2026 All-NBA crop is no small thing. It marks the slow handover from one era to the next.
Jokić still rules and Shai has confirmed superstar status. Dončić remains impossible to ignore, while Wembanyama and Cunningham are speeding up their takeover of the league.
As some legends move toward the exit, a whole generation is settling at the big table. And judging by the names in this First Team, the NBA has absolutely nothing to worry about on the future front.
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Source : Photo by ALEX SLITZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
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