Top moments in 2025-26 NBA season

Alta Sports22 days ago · 277 views

By Joel Reyes

It might not have been the most exciting of NBA seasons, but there were still plenty of memorable moments during the 2025-26 campaign. From LeBron James turning back the clock once more to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continuing his MVP-caliber form, the league’s top stars dazzled during the 82-game regular season.

Alta Sports presents the top 5 moments of the 2025-26 NBA season.

1. SGA, Jokic, Wemby, and Luka lock horns in titanic four-way MVP race

The race for the Most Valuable Player award in the 2025-26 season is coming down to the wire, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic each having legit cases to win the prestigious Michael Jordan Trophy.

Gilgeous-Alexander helped OKC finish the season with the league’s best record, averaging a team-best 31.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. He also broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive 20-point games, with SGA’s mark now at 140.

Wembanyama brought San Antonio back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, averaging 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 3.1 assists per game for the Spurs this season.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Jokic continued to stuff the stat sheet for the Nuggets, averaging a triple-double this campaign. He also became the first player to lead the NBA in both RPG (12.9) and APG (10.7) in a season since the 1969-70 season.

Doncic won the scoring title, averaging 33.5 points per game in his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic, who also averaged 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds, became the fifth Laker in franchise history to win the scoring title, and the first since Kobe Bryant in the 2006-07 season.

Photo by Morgan Engel/NBAE via Getty Images

2. LeBron adds more records to his long list of accolades

James continued to rewrite the record books in his 23rd year in the NBA, becoming the league’s all-time leader in total regular-season games played and passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most wins (regular season and playoffs) in history. He also received his record-extending 22nd All-Star selection earlier this year.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

3. Bam Adebayo stuns with historic 83-point performance

Bam Adebayo sent shockwaves across the basketball world when he recorded the second-highest individual scoring game in NBA history last month. He scored a career-high 83 points in Miami’s 150-129 victory over Washington, shooting 20-of-43 from the field and 36-of-43 from the free-throw line.

Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

Adebayo became just the third player to score at least 80 points in a game, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant in the exclusive list. Chamberlain dropped 100 points in Philadelphia’s 169-147 win over New York in 1962, while Bryant exploded for 81 markers in Los Angeles’ 122-104 win over Toronto in 2006.

4. Cade Cunningham powers Detroit’s resurgence

The Detroit Pistons surprised fans with their reemergence in the 2025-26 season, grabbing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing with a 60-22 record. It was the first time in 20 years that the Pistons recorded a 60-win campaign. Cunningham powered Detroit’s rise this season, averaging a team-best 23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game.

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

5. New York Knicks win their first-ever NBA Cup crown

The New York Knicks finally ended their long title drought this season, capturing their first championship since 1973 with a victory in the NBA Cup. Jalen Brunson won the tournament MVP after leading the Knicks to a 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the championship game in Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images

6. Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg impress with their rookie seasons

Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel dazzled in their first season in the pros, making history with their outstanding play in the 2025-26 campaign.

Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images

Flagg became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in the 1984-85 season to lead his team in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals, achieving the feat with the Dallas Mavericks. Knueppel, on the other hand, became the first rookie to lead the NBA in 3-pointers made, finishing with 273 treys for the Charlotte Hornets this season.

All comments 7