The 2025-26 Bleav in Fantasy Basketball Community Awards. The People Have Spoken.
439 votes. One season. Here’s who dominated.
The season’s done. And for the first time ever, we let the community decide who deserved the hardware.
I want to be clear about something before we get into it. These are not my picks. These are your picks. We had 439 votes cast across all categories, which blew me away. That is a real statement from this community and I’m grateful for every single one of you who participated.
So let’s hand out the awards. Category by category. With the actual numbers.
Fantasy MVP
Winner: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets — 60% of the vote
This one was not close. Jokic ran away with it at 60% and honestly it makes sense. He averaged 27.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game. That’s a triple-double average for the second straight season. He also gave you 1.4 steals and 1.8 threes per night from the center slot. Every week you started him, you were already winning multiple categories before anyone else pulled up the matchup.
The community recognized what the stats showed all season. He’s the safest fantasy asset in the game right now.
2nd place: Luka Doncic — 13%
Luka actually edged out Wemby in the voting at 13%. That tells you how much the community respects his scoring and playmaking production even in a season with some noise around him. SGA and Jalen Johnson each pulled 8%, and then somebody nominated Joel Embiid, who got 2% of the vote. I think we all know who that was.
3rd place: Victor Wembanyama — 10%
Wemby got 10% of the vote and honestly I think he deserved more consideration. He averaged 3.1 blocks per game in just 29 minutes a night. Nobody else in the league was even at 2.0 blocks. He’s a category destroyer. But the community went with the floor and the balance that Jokic provides, and I understand that completely.
Defensive Player of the Year
Winner: Victor Wembanyama — 85% of the vote
This one was not a conversation. Wemby ran away with 85% and it’s hard to argue with that. Three straight seasons averaging at least 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. No other player in the league averaged 2.0 blocks. Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley, and Jay Huff were the next closest at 1.8. In category leagues he hands you the blocks column every single week.
2nd place: Kawhi Leonard — 4%
Kawhi got 4% of the vote. When healthy he’s still one of the better two-way options in the game and the community acknowledged that. Jalen Duren came in at 2%. And yes, someone nominated Joel Embiid again. We’re moving on.
Most Improved Player
Winner: Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks — 31% of the vote
I’ll be honest with you. When I pulled up the results live, I had this one wrong initially. I thought Keyonte George had it. But Rollins came in at 31% and George was right behind him at 27%. That’s a close race and the community got it right.
Rollins started the season undrafted in 87% of leagues. Kevin Porter Jr. got hurt nine minutes into game one. Giannis played only 36 games. All of that opened up a massive role and Rollins stepped into it and never looked back. He played 73 games and averaged 17.2 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 threes while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.9% from three. That’s a top-60 player out of nowhere.
2nd place: Keyonte George, Utah Jazz — 27%
George averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 threes, and 1.1 steals after shooting just 39.1% from the field over his first two seasons. This year he shot 45.6%. Everything else followed. He only played 54 games because Utah was tanking, but the per-game production was undeniable. Watch his situation closely in 2027.
3rd place: Nickeil Alexander-Walker — 18%
NAW had a really good season and the community saw it. He’ll show up again in a minute. Tyrese Maxey came in 4th at 8% and everyone else was under 4%.
Rookie of the Year
Winner: Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets — 50% of the vote
Exactly half the community went with Knueppel. And the margin over Flagg was just 5 percentage points, which tells you how real that debate was all season.
Knueppel averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.4 threes per game. He shot 48.1% from the field, 86.2% from the line, and 43.0% from three. He set an NBA record for most threes made by a rookie. He played 78 games. That last one is what put him over the top in the community vote and in my mind too. Availability is a stat.
2nd place: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks — 45%
45% is not a distant second. Flagg averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 threes in 66 games. He dropped a 51-point game at some point this season as a 19-year-old. The community was split almost down the middle and I respect both sides. Flagg is a first-round pick in 2027 drafts. That’s already decided.
3rd place: VJ Edgecombe — 5%
Edgecombe pulled 5% of the vote. Distant third but worth noting he got enough community support to show up. Good rookie season in a quiet way.
Second-Year Leap Award
This is one of my favorite categories and it’s unique to our community.
Winner: Donovan Clingan — 47% of the vote
Clingan ran away with this one. 47% is not close. The community watched him take a real step in year two and rewarded him for it.
2nd place: Stephon Castle — 23%
Castle got 23% and I think he earned that. The Spurs are building something and Castle is a big part of it.
3rd place: Alex Sarr — 21%
Sarr was right behind Castle at 21%. Those two were neck and neck for second and third.
Waiver Wire Pickup of the Year
Winner: Nickeil Alexander-Walker — 49% of the vote
NAW ran away with this one at 49%. That is not a close race. He was a coming-out party kind of season. The community saw it all year and rewarded him accordingly.
2nd place: Ryan Rollins — 24%
Rollins shows up again. Two awards in one night is a statement. He was the most impactful waiver pickup of the season from a pure production standpoint, but the community gave the headline to NAW and I can see why.
3rd place: Collin Gillespie
Gillespie had a really solid season. Distant third in the voting but he earned a mention.
Other nominees included Jayson Tatum, Cam Spencer, Dejante Murray, Sadiq Bey, and Reed Sheppard. That’s a deep class of waiver wire contributors this year.
Fan Favorite
Winner: Jalen Johnson — 44% of the vote
The community loves Jalen Johnson and that 44% says everything. He ran away with this one.
2nd place: Cade Cunningham
Cade came in second which makes sense. He carried fantasy teams for most of the season before the injury hit late.
3rd place: Tyrese Maxey
Just three points behind Cade. Those two were close all night. Jamal Murray got an honorable mention in fourth.
Get Well Soon Award
Winner: Cade Cunningham — 55% of the vote
The community voted for this one with care, not anger. And that’s how it should be read. Cade played at a high level all season and then went down late. Nobody is mad at Cade. That 55% is the community saying we’re pulling for you next year.
Joel Embiid came in second and AD came in third. Both of them show up on these lists every year and you know the story with both of them by now.
Bust of the Year
Winner: Domantas Sabonis
The community made their feelings clear.
2nd place: Trae Young
Trae made it to game five before going down with an injury. Came back, played a handful of games, got traded to Washington, and basically disappeared. 15 games played total. Career lows in points at 17.9 and assists at 8.0. If you took him late first or early second round, you know how that felt.
3rd place: Tie — John Morant and Cameron Johnson
Both landed in the same spot. The community had opinions on this whole list. Jaylen Green, Devin Booker, Zion, Giannis all got votes. Personally I had Devin Booker as my bust. He played a lot and I thought he was going to do more. But injuries dominated the top of this category, which is its own conversation.
Should Have Been Traded Award
Winner: Domantas Sabonis — 61% of the vote
Stinking up the joint.
2nd place: Giannis Antetokounmpo
36 games played. If you built around Giannis expecting a full season, you felt it. The community noticed.
3rd place: Josh Giddy
Giddy rounds out the top three. I flagged him as a risky pick going into the season and the community agreed in hindsight.
What This Season Meant
64 championships reported in our community this year. More than any season in our history. More than the 52 we had in 2025 which was already a record. More than the 35 we had in 2023.
That number doesn’t happen without the people who show up every week, vote in the awards, and actually play the game the right way. Thank you for that.
Season six starts now. We’re going right into dynasty and keeper content, mock drafts on Sleeper, and more points league focus than ever before. The work that wins championships doesn’t start in October. It starts now.
Robbin Marx
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Robbin Marx
NBA Fantasy Analyst
Experience: NBC Sports - Rotoworld, HashTag Basketball, Bleav Network