Stephen Curry Talks About ‘New Normal’ As He Nears Return
Ahead of his expected return from a knee condition that has sidelined him since January 30, Warriors star Stephen Curry held a press conference on Saturday to address questions about his lengthy recovery process, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. Curry is listed as questionable for Sunday’s home game against Houston, but Slater states that he’s expected to play, barring any setbacks.
Curry, who has been suffering from patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) in his right knee, said “yes and no” when asked if it’s something he’ll have to manage for the rest of his career.
“There’s nothing structurally wrong with my knee,” Curry explained. “So it’s not like I’m compromised out there. It is a new normal, though, if that makes sense.”
Curry first began experiencing pain and swelling in the knee during a January 24 workout and tried to play through it before opting for rest. He was expecting to return to the lineup quickly, but said it turned out to be “unpredictable.”
“I thought I was going to be out a week,” Curry said. “Ten days max. [But] every time I got on the court or tried to push it in that first month, there was always a reaction. You just knew it wasn’t healing as fast as you thought.”
He believed resting the knee would enable him to return after the All-Star break, but there wasn’t enough improvement by mid-February. He also targeted an Eastern road trip in March, according to Slater, but suffered a setback two weeks ago in Atlanta when he felt he was on the verge of returning.
“You’d start running and doing your normal [rehab] workout,” Curry said. “[Then] toward the end of however long the session was, you’d start to feel the pain creep back in and the next day it’d be awful. Played that song and dance so many times over the last two months.”
Although progress was slow, he made a breakthrough over the past week when he was cleared to participate in five-on-five scrimmages. If all goes well over the next 24 hours, he’ll be back on the court Sunday night, giving him about a week to prepare for the play-in tournament, with Golden State virtually locked into the 10th seed.
Curry said he never gave serious consideration to sitting out for the rest of the season, and coach Steve Kerr told reporters that the team never approached him with that suggestion.
“He’s the greatest face of a franchise that I’ve ever seen,” Kerr said. “We owe it to our fans to give them the opportunity to watch Steph Curry play basketball this year. And Steph doesn’t even think twice about that. That’s what he wants. That’s what we want. That’s what our fans want. So we’re going to do that.”
Warriors’ Draymond Green Talks Contract, Future, Kerr
An ESPN report this week suggested that Draymond Green is unlikely to seriously consider leaving the Warriors in free agency this summer and that the more likely outcome is that he’ll either pick up his $27.7MM player option or turn it down in order to sign a new multiyear contract with Golden State.
Speaking to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Green suggested he has a path in mind, though it came with the caveat that he, agent Rich Paul, and the team still need to sit down and talk the situation through.
“Rich and I discussed it a couple months ago briefly,” Green said. “We haven’t talked much about it because we don’t deal with those things until the offseason. But I think in an ideal world, and again, this is me talking without me talking to my representation so Rich will probably kill me. But in an ideal world, I think the best path would be to decline and extend. If I had it my way, that would be the best path forward.”
A scenario in which Green declines that option in order to sign a new contract could benefit both him and the Warriors. The veteran forward would likely receive an overall guarantee exceeding $27.7MM while earning multiyear security, and Golden State could reduce his 2026/27 salary in order to create more cap flexibility for the coming season.
That added cap flexibility, in turn, would be useful if the Warriors go star-hunting this summer, a path that wouldn’t surprise Green.
“Playing for a great organization with a great ownership group and a great front office group like we have, those possibilities are always there,” he told Kawakami. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it big-name hunting. (Team owner) Joe (Lacob) is just always trying to win. And whatever is going to give him the best possible chance to win, that’s what he’s going to win. If that’s a big name, if that’s a small name, whatever is going to give him the best possible chance to be a winner. That’s what he’s going to do. And you have to know that in playing here.”
Green, candid as ever, offered up several more interesting tidbits during his conversation with Kawakami. While the story is worth checking out in full for Warriors fans, here are a few additional highlights:
On how long he and longtime teammate Stephen Curry will continue playing:
“When we do speak about it, we speak of it in terms of summers. ‘How many more summers am I willing to give to this?’ Because ultimately, that’s what it boils down to, right? How many more summers am I taking away from things with my kids? How many more summers am I willing to build my whole life around preparing for an NBA season?
“… We don’t speak on it in the sense of, ‘Man, how many years I’m going to go, how long till you walk out, do we walk out together?’ We haven’t discussed it in that manner. What we do discuss is, ‘Man, how many more summers do you think you could do this?’ … And quite honestly, the last we spoke about it, we both agreed we had two or three more summers. So we’ll see.”
On his belief that head coach Steve Kerr will be back for 2026/27:
“We don’t want to play for anyone else. We built this thing together. Just as much impact as Steph Curry has had, as I’ve had, as Klay (Thompson) had, Steve’s had. We built this thing up from the ground. … I think when you look at (him) not signing an extension, I think Steve sits in the same place I sit. I’m not going to do anything that straps this team. I’m not going to do anything that handcuffs this organization. I think Steve sits in that same place. So when he didn’t sign an extension, none of us made much of it because we know he should and will have the choice to be here. And we all want to finish with him.”
On how he wants his Warriors tenure to eventually end:
“I’ve seen too many guys leave a place and it’s nasty. And I just don’t understand why it’s that way. It don’t have to be that way. So I want to make sure that whenever my time is up here, that it ends the way it’s supposed to end. That it doesn’t end with me bitter, with them bitter. It ends the way it’s supposed to end: Everybody’s happy, we’ve done great things, and we move forward.”
Free Agent Notes: Porzingis, Yabusele, Sharpe, Valanciunas
Although multiple reports have suggested Kristaps Porzingis appears to be leaning toward re-signing with the Warriors, he declined to commit to staying with Golden State after Thursday’s loss to Cleveland. The Latvian center is extension-eligible and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.
“It’s hard to say,” Porzingis told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “Of course, it would be nice for me to go ahead and say, ‘Yes, I want to continue here,’ and this and that. But the reality is I didn’t have a good year at all. I barely showed what I’m capable of. And so I have to see what’s out there.”
Health issues have limited Porzingis to just 29 appearances thus far in 2025/26, and he’s averaging a career-low 24.0 minutes per game. He has been very productive when available, but he told The Athletic he’s not close to being at his peak performance.
“For me, I just wanted first to get to decent shape,” Porzingis said. “Take care of that. Which I am kind of working my way into. And then seeing the whole picture, kind of taking a step back, not to put too much pressure on myself. It’s been a year like that, and we’ll see.
“Honestly, the team is great here. I haven’t gotten a chance to play with Steph (Curry) yet, but the team is great, the city is great, the organization is fantastic. The only thing is the time difference with Europe — it’s 10 hours, it’s too much. But everything else, I enjoy it here.”
According to Friedell, Porzingis was joking about the time difference, but he was serious about his excitement to play alongside Curry. The 30-year-old big man also continues to praise director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini, and he said the relationship he has built with the training staff will factor into his decision this offseason.
“That’s definitely (something) I have to take into account,” Porzingis told Friedell. “I believe I’m in incredible hands here. And that means something. When you have a really strong staff with somebody like me, maybe that’s had some injuries throughout their career … to be in the best hands, it makes a difference for me to stay out there healthy.”
Here are some more notes on players who either will be or could be free agents in 2026:
- Guerschon Yabusele is expected to draw plenty of EuroLeague interest this summer and there has been speculation that’s why he declined his 2026/27 player option ($5.8MM) to facilitate a trade to the Bulls, but the French forward/center said on Friday that his priority is to stay in the NBA, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). “My main goal is to stay in the NBA for sure,” Yabusele said. According to Johnson, the Bulls value Yabusele’s “work ethic and positivity,” which the former first-round pick displayed when he was asked about his erratic role with the Knicks. “I always say, if that was Coach (Mike Brown)’s decision, that was coach’s decision. I just respect it,” Yabusele said. “I worked hard and tried to be the best version of me. Nothing but love for New York.”
- The Nets hold a $6.25MM team option on center Day’Ron Sharpe for next season. He told Brian Lewis of The New York Post he’s unsure what the club has in store for him (Twitter link). “I don’t know. Whatever the team has planned for me, that’s what they’ve got,” Sharpe said. The 24-year-old big man, who has drawn praise from head coach Jordi Fernandez, is recovering from season-ending thumb surgery. He said he plans to continue to work on his body this summer and is eager to add a three-point shot to his arsenal as well (Twitter link via Lewis).
- Longtime center Jonas Valanciunas has been out of the Nuggets‘ rotation of late, but it’s not affecting his attitude in the locker room, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “I would say he has been as professional as you can be in this situation,” head coach David Adelman said. “And professional in our game means he should be pissed off — and he was — because he wants to play and help the team. Not because it’s about him. … He’s been great on the bench. He’s been great in film sessions. He’s worked out extremely hard. He’s done everything you ask of somebody to do. So I have complete trust in Jonas.” The Lithuanian big man was repeatedly linked to Greek EuroLeague team Panathinaikos last summer and only $2MM of his $10MM salary for next season is currently guaranteed. “I will stay ready. What am I gonna say?” Valanciunas told The Denver Post when asked about Denver going a different direction. “Am I pissed off? … As long as we’re winning the game, you know. I’m here if you need me. I’m here. I’m gonna do everything (I usually do). So it’s simple as that.”
Injury Notes: Curry, Harris, Embiid, Giddey, Jones Garcia
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided an encouraging update on Stephen Curry after the 38-year-old went through another scrimmage on Thursday evening, tweets Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
“He looked good … he looks like Steph Curry,” Kerr said.
Kerr wouldn’t commit to Curry playing on Sunday, saying that would be up to the star guard and director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. A final call will likely happen on Friday, Friedell adds, but it certainly sounds like Curry is on track to suit up this weekend, barring a last-minute setback.
The two-time MVP has been sidelined since late January due to patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee.
Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:
- Veteran forward Tobias Harris suffered a left knee contusion in the first half of Thursday’s matchup with Minnesota and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the Pistons announced (via Twitter). Harris, who has started each of the 59 games in which he’s appeared this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid has been listed as doubtful ahead of Friday’s game vs. Minnesota because of an illness, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. Embiid sat out Wednesday’s win against Washington because he was sick and the doubtful designation suggests he’s likely to miss a second consecutive game.
- Josh Giddey was held out of Wednesday’s contest vs. Indiana after experiencing left hamstring tightness and his status for the final six games of the season is up in the air, according to Brian Sandalow of The Chicago Sun-Times. The Australian guard missed 19 games due to left hamstring issues earlier in 2025/26 and is considered day-to-day, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said.
- Rookie wing David Jones Garcia, who is about two months removed from season-ending ankle surgery, is no longer using a scooter and is traveling with the Spurs during their ongoing road trip, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Jones Garcia is expected to make a full recovery at some point in the offseason. “He’s a big part of the locker room and the group and the guys, so it’s been good to have him around,” head coach Mitch Johnson said.
Pacific Rumors: Warriors, Kawhi, Kerr, LeBron, Williams
Multiple reports since February’s trade deadline have indicated that the Warriors talked to the Clippers earlier this season about a possible Kawhi Leonard deal. According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, multiple league sources he spoke to this week suggested that Golden State actually came “reasonably close” to acquiring the star forward. The two sides had “generally agreed” on what a deal would look like before the Clippers decided to withdraw from those talks, Kawakami says.
Those same sources believe the Warriors will once again go big-game hunting this offseason, with Leonard among their targets, Kawakami writes. The two-time Finals MVP will be entering 2026/27 on an expiring $50.3MM contract, assuming it’s not voided as part of the NBA’s investigation into Leonard and the Clippers.
Kawakami also notes within the same story that he believes head coach Steve Kerr will be back on the sidelines for the Warriors next season, though he admits that’s just speculation and that he’s not sure Kerr himself has even made a decision at this point. Team owner Joe Lacob, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., and star guard Stephen Curry “absolutely want Kerr back,” per Kawakami.
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Checking in on where things stand with the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers and Leonard’s relationship with the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration, Baxter Holmes of ESPN says interviews are still ongoing and there’s no set timeline for the probe to wrap up. Holmes also digs further into Leonard’s promotional deal with Aspiration, examining the factors that investigators will consider as they weigh how unusual the agreement may have been.
- Responding to the latest round of speculation about LeBron James‘ future beyond 2025/26, agent Rich Paul said on the Game Over podcast that there’s “no truth to any of it” and insisted that even the Lakers forward himself isn’t sure what next season might hold. “I don’t know what’s happening. … He don’t know either,” Paul said (Twitter video link). “We don’t even talk about it… Just enjoy the moment. The man is playing minutes with his son. Meaningful minutes. … The Lakers are 12-1, they’re playing well, why are you talking about some stuff about next year? I get it, you have to talk about it. … (But) nobody knows. I don’t care what article is written. I don’t care what tweet is out there. Nobody knows anything.”
- Suns center Mark Williams, who has been sidelined since March 3 due to a left foot stress reaction, has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game in Charlotte, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Williams missed the first of Phoenix’s two games against his former team in March, so it’s safe to assume he’ll try to do all he can to make it back for Thursday’s matchup with the Hornets, whom he hasn’t faced since they traded him to the Suns last June. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) expects the fourth-year big man to return tonight.
Checking In On Playoff Picture, Expired 10-Day Contracts
Although we already know which 20 teams will be taking part in the NBA’s postseason, only seven of those clubs have officially clinched playoff spots, assuring themselves of a top-six finish in their respective conferences. The Pistons, Celtics, and Knicks have booked their tickets in the East, while the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, and Nuggets have done so in the West.
Two more teams could secure top-six playoff spots on Thursday. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Cavaliers will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight in Golden State, while the Rockets will be assured of a playoff appearance if the Suns lose in Charlotte.
Although the Timberwolves can’t clinch their own playoff spot with a win tonight, they hold a 4.5-game lead over Phoenix for the No. 6 spot in the West, where we’re getting pretty close to the playoff and play-in fields being set. Barring a late-season collapse, Minnesota and Houston will almost certainly join Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Lakers, and Denver as top-six seeds, leaving the Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors to battle it out in the play-in tournament. Those last three teams are already locked into the play-in, though seeding remains up for grabs.
The most compelling remaining playoff race figures to be for the final guaranteed playoff spot(s) in the East. The Cavs, who could’ve clinched with a win on Tuesday or a Philadelphia loss on Wednesday, will undoubtedly secure their spot sooner or later, but the fifth and sixth seeds in the conference are far from settled. The No. 5 Hawks (44-33) are separated from the No. 10 Heat (40-37) by just four games, with the Sixers (42-34), Raptors (42-34), Hornets (40-36), and Magic (40-36) also battling to finish in the top six — or at least to take part in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game, which would guarantee them two chances to make the playoffs.
While none of those Eastern teams is locked into the play-in yet, blowout home losses on Wednesday have made it increasingly difficult for Orlando and Miami to claw their way into the top six. Conversely, Atlanta strengthened its hold on the No. 5 seed with an impressive win over the Magic. The Hawks have now won 17 of their last 19 games.
In other housekeeping news, a total of four 10-day contracts expired overnight on Wednesday: Bez Mbeng (Jazz), DeJon Jarreau (Grizzlies), Tyler Burton (Grizzlies), and Markelle Fultz (Raptors).
Reporting has already indicated that the Jazz intend to re-sign Mbeng for the rest of the season, but that’s not an option for the Grizzlies with Jarreau or Burton unless they waive someone from their 15-man roster, since they were on hardship deals and aren’t eligible to sign another 10-day contract with Memphis. The Grizzlies remain eligible to re-add two players in those hardship slots, but barring more significant roster changes, they’ll likely have to bring in a pair of newcomers to replace Jarreau and Burton.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have the ability to re-sign Fultz, since they now have an open 15-man roster spot and the former No. 1 overall pick has only received a single 10-day deal with the team. He did appear in five games during his first 10 days with the club, but played very limited minutes and wasn’t all that effective (four total points on 2-of-11 shooting in 36 minutes).
The expectation is that the Raptors will sign someone else to replace Fultz, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who identifies Raptors 905 sharpshooter Tyreke Key as a potential candidate for a 10-day deal. If Toronto signs Key or someone else to a 10-day contract on Thursday, it would expire next Saturday night, allowing the team to promote one of its two-way players to the standard roster ahead of the postseason next Sunday.
Since there are only 11 days left in the season, time is quickly running out for teams to sign players to standard 10-day contracts. Starting on Friday, a team with an open roster spot would simply be signing a player to a rest-of-season deal. However, hardship “10-day” signings are still permitted through the end of the season. They would expire after the regular season finale, making those players free agents immediately.
Several more 10-day contracts, including Omer Yurtseven‘s with the Warriors, Malachi Smith‘s with the Nets, and Charles Bassey‘s with the Celtics, will end this weekend. Boston will have to either re-sign Bassey or bring in a new 14th man on Saturday after the center’s second 10-day deal expires on Friday night, since the Celtics aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for a full day for the rest of the season.
Our 10-day tracker shows the full list of active deals.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Centers, Smart
The amount of money LeBron James is willing to accept in his next contract will help determine where he plays next season or if he plays at all, according to Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. James will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, which is an unusual position as he typically holds a player option that gives him leverage in determining his future.
“Will he play for the mid-level exception? For the minimum?” one scout asked the authors. “A big part of this is knowing what he will be willing to do [financially].”
McMenamin and Bontemps point out that if James is willing to accept a veteran’s minimum deal just to continue his career, he becomes an attractive option for any team in the league. If he demands the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be about $15MM, or tries to work out a sign-and-trade, his next team may have to make other roster moves to get below the first tax apron.
The Lakers will hold James’ Bird rights and won’t face the same salary restrictions as their competitors. However, the need to re-sign free agent Austin Reaves, who could be in line for a max deal, will affect how much L.A. might be willing to spend in other areas. Sources tell the authors that along with Reaves, the Lakers are hoping to reach new deals with Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard and possibly Rui Hachimura if he can be re-signed at a reasonable price.
McMenamin and Bontemps list the Warriors, Cavaliers, Knicks, Nuggets and Clippers as teams to watch if James decides to go elsewhere.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach JJ Redick is touting Luka Doncic for Most Valuable Player honors, McMenamin adds in a separate story. L.A. went 15-2 in March with Doncic scoring 600 points, making him one of 10 players in NBA history to reach that total in any month. “He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said. “Certainly, we have a ton of guys starring in their roles, but he’s the driver.” Doncic declined a chance to campaign for himself as MVP, per Melissa Rohlin of The California Post (Twitter video link).
- The Lakers have been getting improved play at center with the postseason approaching, notes Khobi Price of The California Post. It’s a welcome change from last year, when Redick was sometimes forced to use centerless lineups in a first-round loss to Minnesota.
- Marcus Smart will miss his sixth straight game with an ankle contusion when the Lakers travel to Oklahoma City on Thursday, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Warriors Star Stephen Curry Targeting Sunday Return
April 1: The Warriors issued an update Wednesday on Curry’s condition (Twitter link), stating that he participated in in a five-on-five scrimmage on Tuesday and “continues to make progress in his return-to-play protocol.” He’s expected to take part in another scrimmage later this week before being reevaluated over the weekend.
March 31: Warriors star guard Stephen Curry is targeting Sunday’s game against the Rockets for his long-awaited return to action, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Nick Friedell report.
Curry has been out since January 30 due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) in his right knee. Curry, who went through his first full practice in two months on Tuesday, was scheduled to take part in five-on-five scrimmaging after practice. As long as he continues to progress, the tentative plan is for him to return against Houston.
“He went through a full practice, but it was very light,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We didn’t do anything live.”
A team source later told Amick and Friedell that Curry handled the scrimmage well, but his status will continue to be assessed daily. Curry has appeared in 39 games, averaging 27.2 points and 4.8 assists in 31.8 minutes per night.
Golden State has a back-to-back this Wednesday and Thursday. After Sunday’s contest, the team will have four regular season games remaining.
The Warriors are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference, holding the last play-in spot. They’re a game-and-a-half behind the No. 9 Trail Blazers and three games behind the No. 8 Clippers.
Warriors forward Gui Santos said the team was excited to have Curry participate in practice.
“It’s amazing, man,” Santos said. “Just to have him out there with us, it’s always great. We have a lot more confidence when we have a guy like Steph on the court. There’s no doubt about it.”
Draymond Green Considered Unlikely To Test FA Market
Longtime Warriors forward Draymond Green holds a $27.7MM player option for the 2026/27 season, giving him the ability to opt out of his contract and test the unrestricted free agent market in search of a change of scenery. However, league and team sources don’t expect him to take that route, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
As Slater explains, the expectation is that Green will either exercise his option, locking in a $27.7MM salary for next season, or turn down that option in order to negotiate a multiyear deal with Golden State that features a lower first-year cap hit. Taking the latter route, Slater writes, would likely increase the odds of the 36-year-old finishing his career with the Warriors.
Slater’s update on Green’s contract situation comes within a larger profile on the former Defensive Player of the Year and his place within the organization as he nears the end of his 14th season in the NBA. Although Green didn’t discuss his next contract with ESPN, he did address a number of other topics, including the trade rumors involving him earlier this year.
The Warriors reportedly pursued Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at February’s trade deadline and almost certainly would’ve included Green in their package in order to match Antetokounmpo’s maximum-salary contract. Green was aware of the situation, and while he admits he was initially irked by the idea, he understood the team’s thinking and quickly accepted it.
“I’m a human being,” Green said. “There was a second of me that felt like, ‘Damn, they really going to do that to me?’ … (But) I understand this business probably (as) good as any player. I understand like, yo, this is Giannis Antetokounmpo. They’re not just about to trade me for a bag of peanuts. It would’ve almost been a point of pride.
“I’ll be honest though. I didn’t want to play for Milwaukee.”
League sources tell Slater that if the Warriors and Bucks had made a trade involving Giannis and Draymond, Green had the Los Angeles teams – the Lakers and Clippers – on his radar as possible landing spots he could be rerouted to. However, it doesn’t sound at this point as if being involved in those trade rumors will spur him to seek an exit from Golden State this summer.
Whether or not Green’s Warriors career continues beyond 2025/26, he remains confident that he can be an impact player, especially on defense. While he admitted that he’s “not as fast” as he was and doesn’t “jump as high” as he used to, Green still believes he’s among the NBA’s most impactful defenders, placing only Victor Wembanyama above himself, according to Slater.
“I feel better defensively than I ever have,” Green said. “The numbers won’t show with straight up steals and blocks. Stocks, which is what people look at. But I just do it a different way. I can’t get the block shot all the time anymore, but I can cover it. I may not come up with the steal, but I make sure (the action is) gridlocked.”
Green is technically already eligible for a veteran contract extension that would replace his ’26/27 player option, so there’s nothing stopping him and the Warriors from discussing his next deal sooner rather than later.
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)