Who was the NBA Player of the Year for 2025?

There’s the Kia Most Valuable Player Award, an annual honor that needs no explanation or context.

Then there’s the Player of the Year award, which isn’t recognized by the NBA and doesn’t fetch a trophy or cash or a press conference or even a handshake. Only a shout-out.

It’s just something cooked up on Dec. 31 to examine just that: the top players of the year, as in 2025, from last New Year’s Day to this New Year’s Eve and everything in between, an overlap of two seasons.

It’s a way of identifying who was best from finish-to-start, and what players served a major role in taking their team to the 2024-25 playoffs and then following up with a burst to begin the 2025-26 season.

There are at least 10 worthy of recognition. The top two players hardly qualify as a surprise. The next eight? That’s where the suspense, fun and debate begin.

Here’s the list:

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

For those who were on another planet and therefore missed the show, he was an All-Star starter, made first team All-NBA, led the league in scoring, was among the best defensive guards, won a championship and NBA Finals MVP, then helped OKC to a 24-1 start and, until the Spurs cracked the code, put the Thunder on track for one of the best regular seasons ever.

That’s all. And that’s enough, although barely, to capture the top spot. Shai had one of those dream years that cannot happen unless everything falls right and in place. He was healthy, consistent, reached a high level and survived a pair of Game 7s in the postseason. And in the moment of truth, he was brilliant, which he needed to be, all because of the beastly player at No. 2.

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Purely from an individual standpoint, Jokić might clear Gilgeous-Alexander from January to December. All he lacked was a championship, and that’s no shade thrown at him at all. His triple-double mastery elevated him among the game’s legends, and once again he was asked to pull more weight than anyone in the game; the Nuggets had key players dealing with injury in their conference final loss to OKC, and even now.

The 2024-25 MVP race between him and Gilgeious-Alexander was a classic and, at times, a coin flip. But now? Since opening night 2025, with injured starters in and out of the Denver lineup, Jokić is well ahead of the field in this marathon.

3. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Edwards put himself among the game’s elites by hauling the Timberwolves to their second straight Western Conference Finals appearance and dropping greatness along the way. He was fourth in scoring last season and only Stephen Curry made more 3-pointers, proof of Edwards’ growth offensively.

Once the Wolves played OKC in the West Finals, Edwards was a bit worn down and targeted by the Thunder’s doggish defenders. But his start so far this season is on par with, if not a bit better than, January through May.

4. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Hope returned to Gotham last spring, all because of Brunson, who had the city triggered in a good way. It has been a long time since a Knicks player was celebrated as New York’s best professional athlete, but here we are.

The Knicks reached the East Finals because of Brunson. Earlier this month, they won the Emirates NBA Cup with Brunson delivering his best games of the early season. In a league of solid point guards, only Shai delivered better results in 2025 than Brunson.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

This is where the list gets tricky. Everyone from here has a wrinkle or a blemish that denies them a spot among the top four.

It seems unusual that Antetokounmpo is among them as he has been a strong Kia MVP contender this decade. But the league’s second-leading scorer in 2024-25 dealt with injuries and couldn’t get the Bucks out of the first round. Then, more injuries so far in 2025-26, even though he was once again on an MVP pace when healthy.

6. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Mitchell was one of those players who always seemed to have his fingerprints all over anything positive his team did. The Cavs were the top seed in the East last year largely because of him and his ability to be a savior late in games.

That’s the plus. The minus: Mitchell and the Cavs underachieved in the 2025 playoffs, and right now they’re not a lock for even making the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Mitchell remains among the league scoring leaders and is a decent defender, yet 2025 was both a rise … and a fall.

7. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Cunningham went from curiosity in early 2025 to colossus late. His growth as a player coincided with the Pistons’ elevation in the East as they finished sixth last season and are leading the East as 2025 draws to a close.

He’s also the healthiest he has ever been and it shows on a nightly basis. Cunningham’s scoring either triggers or rescues the Pistons during games, and the league’s No. 2 player in assists is putting teammates in position to excel, as evidenced by the record and place in the standings.

8. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

He’d be higher on this list if not for missed games following the seismic trade from the Mavericks, plus an early exit from the 2025 postseason. Otherwise, Dončić remains among the game’s greats and a select few who can impact games with his scoring, passing and rebounding.

So far this season, so good for the new Dončić, much slimmer and even better defensively than before. The Lakers are fortunate to have him as they begin to game-plan for the post-LeBron James evolution, which will happen at any minute.

9. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

Did he do enough from January to June to negate the rest of the calendar year as an injury no-show? Well — maybe not enough to rank top-five, but absolutely enough to carve out a top-10 spot. Just ask the Knicks, who were devastated by his brilliance and choke sign in the East Finals, and the Thunder, who sweated out a Game 7 and a championship made possible in part by Haliburton’s unfortunate Achilles injury in that winner-take-all game.

Haliburton was a savior for the Pacers throughout last season and especially the playoffs, with big moments against the Cavs, Bucks and Knicks. It was a career-defining romp and made Haliburton a star. As for his value to the Pacers, look where they are now in 2025-26 without him.

10. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

The same rules for Haliburton also apply to Tatum, an MVP candidate who suffered the same injury in the spring and has yet to return to the court since. In that sense, the biggest challenge for Tatum, as for Haliburton, lies in his injury rehab work. If he attacks that with the same intensity as he finished last season, his return could be epic.

Tatum was fifth in the league in scoring, collected a career-high 8.7 rebounds with six assists and elevated the Celtics to the second-best record in the East last spring. He put the Magic to sleep in the first round with 35-10-8 in the elimination game. He later scored 42 points to prevent the Celtics from being swept by the Knicks and paid the price in Game 4 with his injury.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.