2025 NBA awards media poll: Full voting results for MVP, All-NBA, ROTY, more

As the NBA Playoffs are about to begin, so too is the countdown to reveal all of the NBA awards to be handed out this season. From MVP to Rookie of the Year to Defensive Player of the Year to All-NBA honors, each accolade and all of the awards voted on by NBA media members directly impact every player's immediate future regarding contract situations.

Last season, the league implemented stricter player participation rules. As a result, those who play fewer than 65 games in the NBA season are ineligible for postseason awards such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and being an All-NBA selection. That is why superstar talents like Victor Wembanyama, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and Luka Doncic weren't involved in any award races this season.

The debate about who should win the MVP award between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic has been a key topic of discussion throughout the 2024-25 season. Should this award go to the NBA's leading scorer, who led his team to 68 wins, or will Jokic claim his fourth MVP award in the last five seasons after becoming just the third player in league history to average a triple-double?

In the race for Rookie of the Year, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is looking to follow in Wembanyama's footsteps and keep this award in San Antonio. However, Zaccharie Risacher put together some strong performances during the second half of the year to help the Atlanta Hawks clinch their play-in tournament spot.

Perhaps the two awards races that face the most uncertainty are the Defensive Player of the Year award and the Coach of the Year award.

With Wembanyama failing to cross the 65-game minimum mark due to his blood clot issue, the doors opened wide for others to step into the spotlight for their defensive achievements. Draymond Green, Evan Mobley, Dyson Daniels, Amen Thompson, and Luguentz Dort are all elite defenders, but only one can take home the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Coach of the Year award is an even closer race. Media members face a tough decision between Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson and Detroit Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff.

Before the NBA announces the official results of media ballots and declares the winners of this year's awards, a total of 40 different media members, some of whom with real ballots for the NBA vote, participated in ClutchPoints' 2024-25 NBA end-of-season media poll.

The league will reveal final and official results for the NBA awards throughout the playoffs, but this poll gives fans a quick glimpse into what expectations should be for all the different awards and accolades to be handed out.

Here are the results of the NBA awards media poll, starting with the results between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic for the league's MVP award.

Most Valuable Player voting results

*1st place vote = 10 PTS | 2nd = 7 PTS | 3rd = 5 PTS | 4th = 3 PTS | 5th = 1 PTS

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 373 total points [31 first-place votes]

2. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 305 points [9 first-place votes]

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) – 161 points

4. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) – 141 points

5. Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 22 points

6. Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) – 12 points

7. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) – 9 points

8. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) – 8 points

9. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 6 points

10. Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks) – 4 points

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ran away with the Most Valuable Player award in the final NBA media poll this season to nobody's surprise.

As good as Nikola Jokic has been this season, averaging a triple-double and setting new records nobody knew were possible, the fact that he's won this award three of the last four years certainly plays a role in him finishing second. Whether they want to admit it or not, the NBA's main problem with how these awards are given to players is that biased media members ultimately make the decision.

This means certain agendas are pushed, and if someone doesn't feel like voting for Jokic again, they won't. After all, Michael Jordan should have won more than five MVP awards throughout his career, especially during the 1996-97 season when Karl Malone was named MVP. But voter fatigue is a real problem and ultimately factors into Jokic's demise in the MVP race.

However, that's not the only reason why Gilgeous-Alexander will win this award.

The Oklahoma City Thunder won 68 total games, becoming just the seventh team to do so. Shai was at the forefront of their success, leading the league in scoring and being his team's focal point on offense and defense. Four of the six teams to previously win 68 games in a season saw their star player go on to win MVP, and we will see much of the same with Gilgeous-Alexander this year.

Cade Cunningham, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James were three others receiving votes in the MVP race this season given their respective impacts in leading their teams to the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic were the only players to receive first-place votes.

Rookie of the Year voting results

*1st place vote = 5 PTS | 2nd = 3 PTS | 3rd = 1 PTS

1. Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs) – 170 total points [27 first-place votes]

2. Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks) – 119 points [11 first-place votes]

3. Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies) – 42 points [1 first-place vote]

Others receiving votes not shown above: Matas Buzelis (CHI, 1 point), Donovan Clingan (POR – 1 point)

This year's Rookie of the Year race won't be a landslide win like it was last season when Wembanyama claimed all of the first-place votes. Although Stephon Castle is expected to win this award, Zaccharie Risacher deserves a lot of credit for the improvements and strides he took despite being the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

When you are drafted first, the expectations are for you to enter the league and immediately be an All-Star talent. In Risacher's case, he came from France, and the Atlanta Hawks knew he would be a work in progress. While he has a ton of two-way potential on the wing, Risacher wasn't supposed to enter the NBA and immediately contend for all the awards.

His evolution to becoming a key weapon for Atlanta has been intriguing to watch, as has Castle's dominance over the rookie class all season. Castle led all rookies in scoring, and he became the Spurs' focal point once Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox went down with season-ending ailments. That is why he will win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, as seen in this end-of-season media poll.

Most Improved Player voting results

*1st place vote = 5 PTS | 2nd = 3 PTS | 3rd = 1 PTS

1. Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks) – 115 total points [17 first-place votes]

2. Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) – 91 points [9 first-place votes]

3. Ivica Zubac (Los Angeles Clippers) – 52 points [6 first-place vote]

Others receiving third-place votes not shown above: Toumani Camara (POR, 1 vote), Moses Moody (GSW, 1 vote), Amen Thompson (HOU, 1 vote), Jalen Williams (OKC, 1 vote)

It is time for the NBA to adopt an All-Improved team where we can list the 10 players who turned themselves into something new. For example, players like Austin Reaves and Deni Avdija deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments this season rather than receive one or two votes for Most Improved Player.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. This year's race for the Most Improved Player award has seemed to come down to Dyson Daniels and Cade Cunningham. Although Ivica Zubac made a late-season surge, most voters have been contemplating between Daniels and Cunningham.

Whereas Cunningham led the Pistons to the playoffs and their best season in several years, Daniels became a contender for Defensive Player of the Year after being nothing more than a player on the end of his team's bench. Daniels received 17 first-place votes compared to Cunningham's nine for the Most Improved Player award in this NBA media poll.

Shoutouts to Tyler Herro and Christian Braun — two young players who took massive strides this season.

Coach of the Year voting results

*1st place vote = 5 PTS | 2nd = 3 PTS | 3rd = 1 PTS

1. Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 146 total points [20 first-place votes]

2. JB Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons) – 140 points [18 first-place votes]

3. Ime Udoka (Houston Rockets) – 52 points [1 first-place vote]

This was the closest race out of all the NBA awards in the media poll. Kenny Atkinson and JB Bickerstaff excelled in their first seasons with their respective new teams.

Atkinson led the Cavs to the best record in the Eastern Conference, winning 64 games for the first time since 2008-09 when LeBron James took the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals. Bickerstaff completely flipped the culture around in Detroit, turning a 14-win team into a 44-win team. As a result, the Pistons are in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The voting in this media poll for NBA Coach of the Year came down to the last few ballots, as Atkinson beat Bickerstaff by only six points. Cleveland's head coach received 20 first-place votes compared to Bickerstaff's 18 votes.

It is way too close to definitively say one coach has the edge over the other in this award race. Once the official votes are announced by the NBA, do not be shocked if Atkinson or Bickerstaff wins by just a few votes.

Sixth Man of the Year voting results

*1st place vote = 5 PTS | 2nd = 3 PTS | 3rd = 1 PTS

1. Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics) – 183 total points [35 first-place votes]

2. Malik Beasley (Detroit Pistons) – 109 points [4 first-place votes]

3. Ty Jerome (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 40 points [1 first-place vote]

Others receiving third-place votes not shown above: Santi Aldama (MEM, 1 vote)

Out of all the different NBA awards featured in the media poll, the Sixth Man of the Year award was the race with the widest margin of victory.

Payton Pritchard appears to be on his way to becoming the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, joining Malcolm Brogdon as the second Boston Celtics player in the last three seasons to win the award. In his fifth season with the Celtics, Pritchard was finally cast into a featured role off the bench for Joe Mazzulla.

After appearing to have one foot out the door and asking for a trade not too long ago, Pritchard has been essential to Boston's success, averaging 14.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range.

Malik Beasley and Ty Jerome deserve recognition for their accomplishments off the bench, but Pritchard was by far the most impactful and consistent sixth man in the NBA this season. It should not be shocking to anyone that he sits atop this list in the NBA media poll.

Defensive Player of the Year voting results

*1st place vote = 5 PTS | 2nd = 3 PTS | 3rd = 1 PTS

1. Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 109 total points [11 first-place votes]

2. Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) – 89 points [11 first-place votes]

3. Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks) – 73 points [9 first-place vote]

Others receiving third-place votes not shown above: OG Anunoby (NYK, 1 vote), Toumani Camara (POR, 1 vote)

Much like the race for Coach of the Year, the Defensive Player of the Year award will be a close one. In fact, seven different players received at least one first-place vote in the NBA awards media poll, signaling that this is truly an award that will be decided based on the opinion of players.

No argument can be made against Evan Mobley, Draymond Green, or Dyson Daniels — the top three choices from NBA media members. We can even throw Amen Thompson in the mix here as well, although it is much more likely we will see him honored on the All-Defensive teams instead.

Daniels is the newcomer and the player voters want to see more of outside of just this season. Green is a very outspoken player who always wears his emotions on his sleeve. Plenty of voters won't pick him regardless because they believe Draymond is a dirty player at times, which obviously skews both this voting process and the real one.

Ultimately, Mobley seized the top spot in the NBA media poll because more people were willing to vote for him than for Green. Although both players received the same amount of first-place votes, Green only appeared in the top three of Defensive Player of the Year voting on 27 of the 40 ballots.

The dislike that a handful of media members share for Draymond will have a direct impact on his chances of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Once again, this is why the NBA shouldn't rely on the media for anything since it's all about agendas and personal feelings from many who can't do anything but airball free throws at their local LA Fitness.

All-NBA Teams voting results

All-NBA First Team:

*First Team = 5 PTS | Second Team = 3 PTS | Third Team = 1 PTS

Related News

NBA

NBA news: Knicks-Pacers Game 3 pulls ratings not seen since LeBron’s Cavs daysJulian Ojeda · 14 hours ago

NBA

10 NBA teams who could achieve the next three-peatSpencer See · 15 hours ago

NBA

10 most unexpected teams to make the NBA FinalsSpencer See · 18 hours ago

NBA

Shaquille O’Neal’s Inside the NBA warmup has fans going wildMiguel La Torre · 1 day ago

NBA

Charles Barkley sends savage Anthony Edwards message amid ‘face of the NBA’ buzzBenedetto Vitale · 1 day ago

NBA

L2M Report explains controversial Thunder-Timberwolves Game 4 endingTroy Finnegan · 1 day ago

Subscribe To Our NBA Newsletter

There are no surprises in the NBA media poll regarding who finished top five in the All-NBA voting. After all, these are the same five players that finished No. 1 through No. 5 in the MVP voting above.

The only surprise from this media poll is that Giannis Antetokounmpo was not a unanimous All-NBA First Team selection. In the real NBA vote for awards and accolades like All-NBA, it would be surprising if SGA, Jokic, Giannis, and Jayson Tatum weren't unanimous First-Team selections.

These two have by far been the best players in the league this season, which is why there are no questions about their status as players who will finish inside the top five in the MVP vote. The key question facing the All-NBA First Team voting is whether Donovan Mitchell will make the list, as Anthony Edwards was right behind him in the media vote.

All-NBA Second Team:

Edwards, Stephen Curry, Cade Cunningham, and LeBron James are all locks to be selected to an All-NBA team this season. It is a pretty safe assumption that Karl-Anthony Towns will make the list as well given his accomplishments with the New York Knicks.

The key question facing these five players is whether they could potentially bump Mitchell or someone else out of an All-NBA First Team spot. Curry received eight first-team votes, the sixth most in the media poll. Cunningham and Edwards were right behind him with five first-team votes each.

LeBron has once again been one of the best players in the league despite turning 40 years old during the regular season. While his 20-year streak of averaging 25.0 points per game ended, James still finished with 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.

Whereas Edwards and Curry finished first and third in made triples this season, Cunningham ranked seventh and fourth in scoring and assists, respectively. Towns and Jokic were the only two players in the league to average at least 24.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.

All-NBA Third Team:

This is a rare instance where six players could actually make the All-NBA Third Team because Tyrese Haliburton and Alperen Sengun were tied with 24 voting points. Out of all the players on this list, Jalen Brunson was the only one to receive a single first-place vote. However, he was tied with Evan Mobley for second-team votes.

The All-NBA Third Team, as voted on by NBA media members in this poll, is made up of a few rising stars. While Brunson is an established All-Star and MVP-type candidate, Mobley and Jalen Williams were two of the breakout stars for the two best teams in the league. Sengun is another first-time All-Star who led the Houston Rockets to their best record since the 2018-19 season.

Although Jaren Jackson Jr. and Tyrese Haliburton are already established All-Star talents, Haliburton is the only one of the two that has ever made the All-NBA list. Expect to see plenty of new faces earning first-time honors on the All-NBA Third Team this year.

Others receiving All-NBA votes:

Others receiving All-NBA Third Team votes not shown above: Darius Garland (CLE, 1 vote), Tyler Herro (MIA, 1 vote), Amen Thompson (HOU, 1 vote), Derrick White (BOS, 1 vote)

James Harden, Trae Young, and Ivica Zubac are the three most notable names to be left off the All-NBA list in this media poll.

While Young led the league in assists, Harden put together an incredible bounce-back season, allowing the Los Angeles Clippers to become a real threat in the Western Conference playoff picture. Harden and Zubac were both essential to the Clippers' success this season, as the big man was one of the league's most improved talents.

Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Amen Thompson, and Derrick White were other players left off the chart because they each received a single third-team vote.

All-Defensive Teams voting results 

All-Defensive First Team:

*First Team = 2 PTS | Second Team = 1 PTS

The top three in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year — Mobley, Green, and Daniels — all find themselves receiving All-Defensive First Team honors in the NBA media poll. Amen Thompson and Luguentz Dort, two others receiving DPOY votes, round out the list of five players for first-team honors.

Interestingly enough, Mobley and Thompson were the only two players to appear on all 40 ballots cast in the media poll. Draymond and Dyson were left off one ballot each. While this didn't impact the All-Defensive Team voting, it is once again another tell that this year's Defensive Player of the Year race will be very tight and look very different from voter to voter.

Thompson and Dort getting the first-team nod is satisfying since they have both been right next to Daniels as the best perimeter defenders this league has to offer. This has been a breakout year for Thompson, and he is well on his way to becoming a two-way star in Houston for many years to come.

This would be Green's ninth All-Defensive Team selection, making him the 13th player in league history to reach this mark. He would be tied with Dennis Johnson, Michael Jordan, Jason Kidd, Hakeem Olajuwon, Chris Paul, and Gary Payton for the seventh-most selections in NBA history.

All-Defensive Second Team:

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Rudy Gobert, two former Defensive Player of the Year award recipients, make the All-Defensive Second Team in the NBA media poll. They are joined by Jalen Williams, Ivica Zubac, and Toumani Camara.

Whereas Williams and Camara are two youthful talents making a name for themselves with their perimeter defense, Zubac has really revolutionized his game. Once thought to only be a big body in pick-and-roll sets who could finish around the rim, Zubac has worked immensely on getting in shape and becoming a versatile defender who can anchor the Clippers' elite defensive system.

While Zubac may not lead the league in blocks, he was essential in LA finishing third in defensive rating. Much of the same can be said of Williams, as he was the OKC Thunder's second-best perimeter defender next to Dort and helped them become the top-rated defense in the league.

Others receiving All-Defensive Team votes:

Others receiving All-Defensive Team votes not shown above: Jarrett Allen (CLE, 1 vote), Dillon Brooks (MEM, 1 vote), Keon Ellis (SAC, 1 vote), Jonathan Isaac (ORL, 1 vote), LeBron James (LAL, 1 vote), Isaiah Stewart (DET, 1 vote), Jayson Tatum (BOS, 1 vote), Cason Wallace (OKC, 1 vote), Jaylen Wells (MEM, 1 vote)

It is very possible that the Thunder could find Dort, Williams, and Gilgeous-Alexander receiving All-Defensive honors. After all, SGA received three first-team votes in this media poll, and he will receive consideration in the official NBA awards voting.

Kris Dunn had a fantastic defensive season for the Clippers and should be right up there with Zubac, but the 65-game rule comes into effect here. While he played in 74 games, Dunn was on the floor for less than 20 minutes in 16 games this season. That means the NBA looks at Dunn as a player who only played in 58 games, which is ridiculous considering that he was an essential part of his team's success.

The NBA must re-evaluate its Player Participation Policy and make adjustments for players like Dunn, who should qualify for All-Defensive honors.

There were two laughable picks for the All-Defensive Second Team — LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart. James can be a good defender at times and come out of nowhere for blocks when it matters most, but this was nothing more than someone smiling and giving their favorite player a nod.

In Stewart's case, the only thing that comes to mind is that this voter is a big fan of the Rocky Balboa movies and considers the Pistons big man throwing hands with his opponents as great defense. After all, they can't score if they get thrown out of the game with you, so I guess this is a good defensive strategy for Stewart.

All-Rookie Teams voting results 

All-Rookie First Team:

*First Team = 2 PTS | Second Team = 1 PTS

The NBA All-Rookie Teams in the awards voting should be straightforward.

Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jaylen Wells will be All-Rookie First-Team selections. Wells was the only one of the three to be left off a ballot in the media vote.

The other two first-team spots jockeyed back and forth between Kel'el Ware, Alex Sarr, and Zach Edey. Ultimately, the two extra first-team votes that Sarr received push him over Edey for that final spot. It will be interesting to see if that happens in the real vote.

Ware deserves to receive All-Rookie First Team honors after coming on strong during the second half of the season for the Miami Heat. He finished his rookie season averaging 11.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in April.

All-Rookie Second Team:

Edey finds himself on the All-Rookie Second Team with two other first-year big men: Donovan Clingan and Yves Missi. Both Clingan and Missi were popular second-team picks, as they received the most votes (26) for the second team out of any player.

Matas Buzelis and Bub Carrington got the final nods because of how they finished the season for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, respectively.

After the All-Star break, Buzelis ranked sixth out of all rookies in scoring and saw his role elevated after the Bulls made moves at the trade deadline. He will be an essential building block moving forward.

Carrington had a very successful rookie campaign from start to finish. The Wizards rookie showed flashes of his triple-double-like potential, and he scored at least 10 points in each of his final seven games, including a 32-point, nine-rebound, and seven-assist night against the Orlando Magic on April 3.

Others receiving All-Rookie Team votes:

Others receiving All-Rookie Team votes not shown above: Quinten Post (GSW, 2 votes), Kyshawn George (WAS, 1 vote), Tristan da Silva (ORL, 1 vote)

If Jared McCain had remained healthy and did not have to undergo knee surgery, he would've been an All-Rookie First-Team performer. Maybe he could've joined Castle and Risacher in the Rookie of the Year race.

Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filiposki ended up in starting roles for the tanking Utah Jazz this season, and both rookies thrived in their respective positions. Expect to see these two remain in big roles for the Jazz entering next season.

Dalton Knecht, a fan favorite in Los Angeles, also received some love for the All-Rookie Second Team, as did Golden State Warriors big man Quinten Post.

While he is playing at an All-Rookie level for the Warriors right now, Post did not crack Steve Kerr's rotation until after the All-Star break. That is why he didn't receive more attention in the All-Rookie voting.