NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2025/26 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominates one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Bam Adebayo (Heat)- Harrison Barnes (Spurs)
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who was also nominated last season. Whoever earns the honor for 2025/26 will be a first-time winner. Jrue Holiday took home the Joe Dumars Trophy a year ago.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2025/26. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, having earned the honor in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He’s the only past recipient who is among this season’s group of finalists.
Those Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Desmond Bane (Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Pat Connaughton (Hornets)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Jeff Green (Rockets)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Marcus Smart (Lakers)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Garrett Temple (Raptors)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Injury Notes: Giannis, Wagner, Smart, Melton
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said on Sunday that there’s still a chance star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee hyperextension; bone bruise) will be cleared to return before the end of the regular season on April 12, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
However, teammate Bobby Portis is skeptical that will happen. The veteran Bucks forward/center stated during a recent appearance on FanDuel TV (Facebook video link) that he doesn’t think it makes sense for the two-time MVP to come back at this point, with the team having been eliminated from postseason contention.
“I don’t think he’ll play another game this year, for sure,” Portis said (hat tip to Nehm). “Obviously, he’ll stay in the gym and keep his body tight and keep his game tight. But playing a game on court, I don’t think that’s in the picture at all.”
Reports earlier this month indicated that the Bucks wanted to shut Antetokounmpo down for the season and that he was resisting that plan and pushing to return to action. However, Portis made it clear that he understands why the club would be motivated to keep his superstar teammate off the floor during the final couple weeks of 2025/26, even if he recovers from his knee injury.
“If y’all talking about trading him, you don’t want any injury to knock value off or whatever,” Portis said. “That’s just business-wise, and then player-wise, obviously, you gotta look at just the total picture of what’s going on. We’re (9.5) games behind for the 10th seed and (with eight) games left, we can’t even make up ground.”
We have more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Magic forward Franz Wagner is “progressing well” as he looks to make it back from a high ankle sprain for the final stretch of the season, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Wagner has done some 5-on-5 work, according to Mosley, who said the team will see how the 24-year-old responds to today’s treatment before determining next steps. It sounds like Wagner’s return may not be far off. He has played just four times since December 7, having experienced multiple setbacks related to his ankle.
- Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a fourth consecutive game on Monday due to a right ankle contusion, but there’s no expectation the injury should result in a long-term absence. Head coach JJ Redick said Smart remains “day-to-day” in his recovery process and potential return, per NBA reporter Mark Medina (Twitter link).
- Although De’Anthony Melton has appeared in – and started – seven of the Warriors‘ past eight games, the veteran guard isn’t at 100%, as head coach Steve Kerr explained to reporters after Melton went scoreless in 25 minutes of action in a loss to Denver on Sunday. “He’s banged up,” Kerr said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “His thumb is really bothering him, and I think he’s pressing a little bit. … De’Anthony will bounce back. He’s had a great season. His last couple games have been tough, but he’s banged up. We’ll help him get right. I have total faith in his ability to bounce back.”
Southeast Notes: Heat, Alexander-Walker, Bridges, Magic
It was another ugly loss for the Heat on Sunday as their defense was shredded by the lottery-bound Pacers. Miami is 1-7 over its last eight games after giving up 135 points to Indiana.
“We’ve got to communicate more on the defensive end,” Bam Adebayo said, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “A lot of the first half was us not communicating so they get open threes. Things like that, we’ve got to clean up.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team is exasperated by its recent futility heading into Monday’s matchup with the Sixers.
“We’re disappointed, we’re upset, we’re angry,” Spoelstra said. “We need to use it as fuel and bring a great game [Monday].”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is making a strong push for Most Improved Player. An offseason free agent acquisition, Alexander-Walker has averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He averaged 9.4 PPG in a more limited role for Minnesota last season. “I always figured that the better player I would be, the better it would be for the team,” Alexander-Walker told Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Like, if you can be a better player, ultimately, it’s going to be better for the team. So, I always try to align things that were going to be hand in hand, you know what I mean? And I would never sacrifice one for the other, and in this league, you can’t really, because I feel like it’s a league that rewards winning.”
- The Hornets woke up on Monday morning in 10th place in the East, though teams five through 10 in the standings are tightly bunched. Charlotte has lost two straight with seven games remaining on their schedule. “We don’t want to depend on teams,” forward Miles Bridges said to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “We want to create our own path to the playoffs. And in order to do that, we’ve got to start winning games again.”
- Another team trying to fight its way out of the play-in tournament, Orlando, was embarrassed by the Raptors on Sunday. The Magic lost 139-87. The 52-point loss was the biggest margin of defeat in franchise history. Orlando also gave up a 31-0 run during one stretch of the blowout loss. “I’ve got to do a better job of preparing them for what they were going to see tonight,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “We talked a little bit about it, but probably not enough — I’ve got to have them prepared for the physicality of the game, prepared for how much they were going to grab, hold and get us off of our spots. That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job there with this group to make sure they’re prepared in the right way, knowing exactly the sense of urgency that Toronto was going to play with … knowing the positioning that they were in for playoff positioning.”
And-Ones: All-Defense, G League Playoffs, Acuff, Fertitta
Yahoo Sports contributor Nekias Duncan lists his picks for the two All-Defensive teams (as of March 27). Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo and Derrick White comprise Duncan’s first team, while Cason Wallace, Stephon Castle, Dyson Daniels, Scottie Barnes and Marcus Smart are on the second.
Duncan also cites nine honorable mentions who didn’t quite make the cut, including Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. Duncan says Ausar Thompson would replace Smart if he qualifies; the third-year forward needs to play at least 20 minutes in seven of Detroit’s last eight games to be eligible (Smart may not qualify either due to the requirements of the 65-game rule).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The 16-team field and schedule for the NBA G League playoffs has been set, the league announced in a press release. The Osceola Magic (26-10) are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the South Bay Lakers (26-10) are the No. 1 seed in the West. The NBAGL playoffs feature a single-elimination tournament until the finals, which is best-of-three. Osceola and the Stockton Kings (23-13, the third seed in the West) faced off in last year’s finals, with Stockton winning the title.
- Darius Acuff Jr. is widely projected to be a top-nine pick in the upcoming draft and one NBA general manager recently told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he thinks the Arkansas guard is the third-best prospect in the 2026 class, behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and UNC’s Caleb Wilson. Razorbacks head coach John Calipari, who has coached numerous future NBA stars in college, says teams would be foolish to pass over Acuff, a first-team All-American as a freshman. “Pass on him, you’ll regret it,” Calipari told Andscape. “I said it about Tyrese (Maxey). I’ve said it about a bunch of guys. I said it about Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander): ‘You’re going to regret passing on this kid.’ And I know there are other good players, but this kid (Acuff) is unique.”
- Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta and his family have reached an agreement to purchase the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and relocate the team to Houston, confirms Alexa Philippou of ESPN. Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine first reported the news. The plan is for the Sun to finish 2026 in Connecticut before relocating in 2027. The Fertitta family is spending $300MM to buy the team, which is expected to be called the Comets. The Houston Comets were a WNBA team from 1997-2008.
Magic Notes: Wagner, Black, Isaac, Suggs, Cain
Magic forward Franz Wagner has missed 20 consecutive games and has only made four total appearances since December 7 due to a left high ankle sprain, but he has taken some positive recent steps toward a return, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Wagner has been able to take contact and practiced with the Osceola Magic while on a brief G League assignment this week, according to Beede.
With just nine games left on Orlando’s regular season schedule, time is running out for Wagner to return during the regular season in the hopes of ramping up for the playoffs. However, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Thursday that there’s no minimum number of regular season games Wagner must play in order for him to be available for the postseason.
“That’s not a rule I’m putting in,” Mosley said. “If he’s available, he’s playing.”
We have more on the Magic:
- Anthony Black (left lateral abdominal strain) missed an 11th consecutive game on Thursday, while Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) sat out for an eighth straight contest. Both players are doing on-court work but aren’t yet taking contact, Mosley told Beede. “Just kind of getting some light shooting in, but not much movement,” the Magic coach said.
- After missing two games due to an illness, Jalen Suggs was able to return to action for Thursday’s game and took on his usual workload, reentering the starting lineup and logging 34 minutes in a 121-117 win over Sacramento. Although he scored just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting, Suggs made one of the most important baskets of the night, hitting a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to extend the Magic’s lead to four points. “Huge shot,” teammate Desmond Bane said, per Beede (subscription required). “Welcome back, J. It’s good to have him back in the lineup, for sure.”
- Since being promoted from a two-way deal to a standard contract last week, forward Jamal Cain has submitted several of his best performances of the season — he has averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per night in his past four outings, registering eight assists vs. a single turnover during that stretch. He had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in Thursday’s victory and earned praise from teammate Paolo Banchero for his contributions. “He’s making big time energy plays out there,” Banchero said, according to Beede. “Cuts, rebounds, transition finishes … He’s athletic. He has a solid feel for the game out there.” Orlando holds a minimum-salary team option on Cain for 2026/27.
Injury Notes: George, Edwards, Suggs, Watson
Paul George‘s 25-game absence from the Sixers‘ lineup was the result of a suspension rather than an injury, but that layoff may have come with some health-related benefits for the veteran forward. According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), George suggested in his first post-suspension comments to reporters today that he was still having some issues related to his knee this winter and that getting an extended recovery period was a silver lining of his 25-game ban.
“This 25 games is just what I needed, I think, for my body to kind of heal and be in a better place,” George said.
As we detailed earlier today, since George was able to remain active during his suspension, no ramp-up period will be required — he’s ready to jump back into the rotation when the Sixers host the Bulls on Wednesday.
“I’ve been feeling great, feeling explosive again, feeling strong again,” he said. “I feel like I’m back on that level of being able to perform and be the focal guy and be the scorer.”
Here are a few more health-related notes from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who has been out since March 15 due to inflammation in his right knee, was spotted at Tuesday’s practice, but he’s still just doing individual on-court work and his return isn’t imminent, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team announced on March 17 that Edwards would be out for at least a week or two.
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs is facing his fourth multi-game absence of the season — after missing Monday’s game vs. Indiana due to an illness, he has also been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with Cleveland, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Veteran reserve point guard Jevon Carter earned the start on Monday in Suggs’ place.
- After returning on Sunday following a six-week absence due to a hamstring injury, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson admitted that the altitude in his first home game since Feb. 1 “kicked my butt,” but he felt “amazing” otherwise. “I feel like I’m right back where I was six weeks ago,” Watson said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Still, the Nuggets are managing Watson’s workload carefully. After he played 20 minutes on Sunday, he has been ruled out of Tuesday’s game in Phoenix, the first end of a back-to-back set, with an injury designation of right hamstring injury management, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
Southeast Notes: Johnson, Kuminga, Bitadze, Ball
Jalen Johnson missed the Hawks‘ win over the Warriors on Saturday with a shoulder injury, but head coach Quin Snyder is hopeful the star forward be back in time for Monday’s game against the Grizzlies, per Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks (Twitter link). Snyder didn’t elaborate on Johnson’s injury, simply stating, “He’s okay.”
A first-time All-Star this season, Johnson has played 63 of Atlanta’s 71 games this season, averaging 22.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per night while ranking second in the league in triple-doubles.
The Hawks are currently tied with the Sixers for sixth place in the East, having won nine of their last 10 games.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Jonathan Kuminga‘s first game with the Hawks against his former team didn’t end up being can’t-miss television, as he scored just two points on 1-of-9 shooting in Atlanta’s win over Golden State. Despite their very public split, both Kuminga and his former team maintain that their personal relationship is still positive, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “I like Jonathan. We always got along well,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The basketball part was the hard part. We couldn’t quite offer him what he needed and vice versa.” Kuminga focused on his teammates in discussing his former team, stating, “I’ve still got great friendship and connection like they’re my brothers. I could call them at any time if they need something and they could call me anytime if they need something, so I think that shows a lot. Our relationship is very strong and we’re brothers at the end of the day.”
- Goga Bitadze refuted Luka Doncic‘s account of the interaction that took place during the Magic‘s one-point loss to the Lakers that led to both players being given technical fouls, which were subsequently rescinded. Doncic claimed that Bitadze made a comment about his mother. “Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s families, and I would never directly say that,” Bitadze said. “He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia, I understand.” The Georgian big man also extended an olive branch to the Slovenian superstar. “It was just in the heat of the moment. I heard what he said, and I felt like I had to respond the same way,” he said. So, from my side, if he feels like I said something too much or crossed the line, I apologize as a man. I can take [accountability], but I didn’t say anything, but what he said.”
- LaMelo Ball has led the Hornets to a 37-34 record, including 21 wins in their past 27 games. Head coach Charles Lee credits Ball’s infectious energy and approach as a tone-setter for the team, according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “There’s just so much joy that he brings. His teammates love him. They love being around him,” Lee said. “He is one of those guys that’s so open-minded to being coached. He’s still hungry to learn.” Teammate Brandon Miller credited Ball’s defensive focus, which Miller believes has been underrated this season, as another example of the point guard’s adaptability and growth as a player.
Luka Doncic Avoids Suspension As NBA Rescinds Tech
Luka Doncic has been cleared to play in the Lakers‘ game on Monday against the Pistons after his technical foul against the Magic was rescinded by the league, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Doncic picked up his 16th technical of the 2025/26 season in the third quarter of Saturday’s game after an exchange with Magic big man Goga Bitadze. NBA rules call for any player who accumulates 16 technicals in a season to receive an automatic one-game suspension, but both players have officially had their techs rescinded by the league, which puts Doncic’s season total at 15 games, rather than 16.
Dillon Brooks of the Suns was the first player this season to receive an automatic suspension for reaching 16 technical fouls. Draymond Green (12), Isaiah Stewart (12), Jaylen Brown (11), and Devin Booker (10) are the other players with double-digit technicals this season.
While Doncic has avoided a one-game ban for the time being, he’s not entirely out of the woods yet — a single technical foul in any of the Lakers’ final 11 games of the regular season would result in a suspension. Each player’s technical foul count resets at the start of the postseason.
Community Shootaround: Final Four Eastern Playoff Spots
With three weeks remaining in the 2025/26 regular season, only three games separate the No. 5 Raptors (39-30) from the No. 10 Hornets (37-34). The Hawks (39-32), Sixers (39-32), Magic (38-32) and Heat (38-33), in order of their seeds, are currently in between those two clubs in the Eastern Conference standings.
Those six teams are vying for the fifth and sixth seeds in the East to secure guaranteed playoff berths. The four clubs that end up in the Nos. 7-10 spots would have to advance through the play-in tournament to make the playoffs.
While it’s obviously not as advantageous as making the playoffs outright, the No. 7 seed does get a significant leg up in the play-in tournament, as that team plays at home and has two chances to advance. The No. 8 team also gets two cracks at a playoff spot, whereas the ninth and 10th clubs have to win two consecutive games to move on.
Barring an unexpected collapse (and a major surge up the standings from one of the aforementioned teams), Detroit, Boston, New York and Cleveland are likely going to be the top four seeds in the East, in some order. The No. 4 Cavs (44-27) are four games ahead of the Raptors right now, and the No. 1 Pistons (51-19) have essentially locked up a top-four spot.
No. 11 Milwaukee and No. 12 Chicago haven’t been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention quite yet, but they will almost certainly soon join Indiana, Washington and Brooklyn as Eastern teams formally ruled out of the playoff picture.
Toronto controls its own destiny. The Raptors not only have the most remaining games (13) and fewest losses of the six teams vying for the fifth and sixth spots, they also have the easiest remaining schedule by opponent winning percentage (.476), according to Tankathon.
The No. 6 Hawks went 4-0 against the No. 7 Sixers this season, which is why they’re ahead of them in the standings despite having identical records. Atlanta, which has won 12 of its past 13 games, has a slightly more difficult (.534 opponent winning percentage) schedule than Philadelphia (.527) over the final 11 games of the season.
The Magic and Heat have been inconsistent in 2025/26. Both teams recently won seven consecutive games and are now in the midst of four-game losing streaks. Orlando theoretically has an easier schedule (.485) than Miami (.505) to wrap up the regular season.
The Hornets have been one of the best teams in the NBA for several weeks, but they got off to such a poor start that they’re still trying to dig out of that hole. After a January 21 loss to Cleveland, Charlotte was 16-28; the team has gone 21-6 ever since. The Hornets have three easy games left, but also have eight matchups with teams ahead of them in the standings (.525 opponent winning percentage).
We want to know what you think. Which teams will end up as the fifth and sixth seeds in the East? Which of the four remaining clubs will advance through the play-in tournaments in the seventh and eight spots? Head to the comments section to weigh in with your thoughts!
Magic Notes: Cain, Mosley, Losing Streak, W. Carter
Fourth-year forward Jamal Cain was converted from a two-way deal to a standard contract on Friday. His new deal covers two seasons — the Magic hold a team option on Cain for 2026/27, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s game against the Lakers, Cain discussed his promotion, which occurred on his 27th birthday (video link via the Magic).
“I’ve been waiting four years for that,” said Cain, who spent all his previous time in the league on two-way contracts (story via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). “All the hard work and grind is paying off. But I wasn’t more excited than my mom and my family. They surprised me for my birthday, and just seeing the excitement on their faces made it all worth my while. I’m definitely blessed, for sure.”
Cain’s head coach and teammates were thrilled to learn the news, according to Beede.
“He’s a young man that has worked his tail off for years in this league to try to make it to this level,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He comes in with a sense of joy, a work ethic, a professionalism every single day — what we ask our guys to do night in and night out.”
We have more from Orlando:
- After seven consecutive victories, the Magic have now dropped three straight games ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Lakers, who are riding an eight-game winning streak. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel, Mosley received his first career ejection in Thursday’s lopsided loss at Charlotte after a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter. “Mose always goes to bat for us,” Desmond Bane said. “I don’t think that’s ever a question, on whether or not he’s got our back. So, definitely like the fire and it’s on us to match that and display that on the court.”
- Mosley explained what he wants to see from the Magic on Saturday, Beede adds. “In front of our home fans, just to be able to scrap, to be able to continue to fight, play with that sense of intensity, urgency (and) joy for one another, together,” Mosely said. “All of those pieces are key, but it’s got to be our defense that sets the tone and then our ability to keep moving and sharing the basketball, and that urgency that we need to continue to play with nightly is very important down this stretch.”
- Starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has been upgraded from questionable to available for tonight’s game, the Magic announced (via Twitter). Carter was sidelined on Thursday due to a bruised left rib, which the team referred to as mild.