Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo Named Players Of Week
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, the NBA announced today (Twitter links).
Oklahoma City had a 2-1 record during the week of January 12-18, with the reigning Most Valuable Player averaging 31.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Gilgeous-Alexander posted a shooting line of .547/.400/.912 as the Thunder outscored opponents by 43 points during his 103 minutes on the court.
Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the first NBA player to be named the Player of the Week for the third time this season — he also earned the honor twice in November.
As for Adebayo, he posted averages of 27.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per night while shooting 65.5% from long range as the Heat won two of three games. This is the third time he has earned the award and first time since January 2024.
Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Luka Dončić (Lakers), James Harden (Clippers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were also nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week award, per the NBA.
Brandon Miller (Hornets), Norman Powell (Heat), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Jaylon Tyson (Cavaliers) and Nikola Vučević (Bulls) were the other Eastern Conference nominees.
Antetokounmpo, Curry Head List Of All-Star Starters
The NBA’s 2026 All-Star starters have been set, the league announced today (Twitter links). Here are the 10 players who earned those spots:
Eastern Conference
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
Western Conference
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Luka Doncic (Lakers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
This season’s All-Star Game will have a U.S. vs. World format. The round-robin event is scheduled to be played Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a tournament featuring four 12-minute games. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players.
How the teams will be divvied up is yet to be determined.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo has been selected as a starter for the 10th consecutive season. 2024 Finals MVP Brown will be making his fifth All-Star appearance, while Brunson will be making his third consecutive appearance.
This marks Cunningham’s second NBA All-Star selection and first as a starter. Cunningham is the first Pistons player to be named an Eastern Conference starter in the All-Star Game since Allen Iverson in 2009. It will also be Maxey’s second All-Star appearance and first as a starter.
This will be Curry’s 12th All-Star Game and 11th as a starter. Doncic will be making his sixth All-Star appearance.
This marks the fourth career All-Star appearance for reigning NBA MVP and Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and his third consecutive season as an All-Star starter. Three-time MVP Jokic has been named an All-Star for the eighth consecutive year. Wembanyama is the first Spurs player to be named an All-Star starter since Kawhi Leonard in 2017.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the starters, while players and media accounted for 25% each. Wembanyama won a tiebreaker with the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards for a starting spot. The full voting results can be found through this NBA.com link.
Spurs Notes: Olynyk, Trade Deadline, Wembanyama
Kelly Olynyk has acquired a lot of knowledge during his 13 NBA seasons, and he’s happy to share it with his young Spurs teammates, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes in a subscriber-only story. At age 34, Olynyk has mostly been a mentor since being traded to San Antonio last summer, averaging just 9.7 minutes of action in 26 games. But he’s not complaining about his new responsibilities.
“Your role changes but it’s something I enjoy, helping others,” he said. “I had a lot of guys help me along the way. The ins and outs of the league and how to be a professional, just what you’re trying to pass on to these kids and it’s awesome to be part of. You want to see them succeed. You want to be a part of a team and something great, and that’s where this team is going. To be able to have your voice heard is special.”
The Spurs are Olynyk’s eighth team, and they may provide his best chance to win a title as their young core develops around Victor Wembanyama. Olynyk, who is in the last year of his current contract, hopes to remain with the franchise for several more years, saying he still has a passion for the game, even when playing pickup in the gym.
“I’m blessed that I haven’t had any major injuries or setbacks,” he said. “It’s hard to stay in this league for 10 years and then you get to 12, 13, and I’m super blessed to be able to do that. You just don’t know, but for me it’s awesome and it’s something where I wake up every day and love going to work. If that ever fades then you stop playing, but if it doesn’t then you ride it until you can’t no more.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- The Spurs are only 5-6 since Christmas Day, but they’re still ahead of schedule in their development and don’t need to make a major trade this season, contends Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). He suggests a smaller deal such as possibly moving Olynyk or Jeremy Sochan to add another shooter or role player and states that Knicks big man Guerschon Yabusele might be worth considering because of his experience playing alongside Wembanyama on the French national team.
- Wembanyama limped to the locker room early in Thursday’s game after bumping knees with Giannis Antetokounmpo, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama was able to return, but McDonald notes that he has come up limping four times in the past seven games. Wembanyama understands that the injury risk is part of being a star in a physical league. “We have a target on the other team’s best players as well,” he said. “Never in a dirty way, but that’s just what we all have to go through.”
- Antetokounmpo, who had a build similar to Wembanyama’s when he entered the league, believes “the sky’s the limit” for the French star “as long as he can stay healthy,” relay Jared Weiss and Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Sources tell the authors that the Spurs want Wembanyama to become more aware of injury prevention during games and to fall on the floor less often.
Spurs Notes: Wemby, Champagnie, K. Johnson, Sochan, Bryant
Victor Wembanyama helped lead the Spurs to a victory on Saturday in Boston, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The star big man scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half and hit a couple of key jump shots late in the game to seal the victory.
“My mindset was just we have to close out that game,” Wembanyama said. “I think too often, I mean it’s easier said than done, but too often we do lots of efforts and let it go to waste one way or the other. So, I felt like not letting that happen.”
Wembanyama has come off the bench for the past three games since a knee injury caused him to miss two consecutive contests. The 22-year-old center indicated that he’s close to returning to the starting lineup, Orsborn notes.
“The goal is to start soon and to keep it that way for the rest of the season,” Wembanyama said.
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama praised Julian Champagnie following Saturday’s victory, Orsborn adds. Champagnie has been starting in place of Devin Vassell, who is out with a left adductor strain. The 24-year-old wing delivered his fifth double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) on Saturday and blocked a Derrick White three-point attempt in the closing seconds. “We trust him,” Wembanyama said of Champagnie. “The front office, the coaching staff, everybody believes in him and he’s just capitalizing on that. It’s like we can’t do without him now. He’s part of this. He’s indispensable.”
- Keldon Johnson has become one of the top bench players in the NBA, but it’s a role he was initially reluctant to accept after once being a full-time starter, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “If I was to say it’s easy, I would be lying,” Johnson said. “As a young player, you have some success early on, you score a lot of points in the NBA, it takes a lot to sit back and take your ego away from it and say, ‘OK what do I need to do to be able to contribute to this team now?’” Johnson, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, is having the most efficient offensive season of his career. “It would be hard for him not to at least be in the (Sixth Man of the Year) conversation,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s been phenomenal and he’s been consistent. He’s been a mainstay. It’s every night with that guy.”
- Fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan downplayed a post-game incident on Wednesday in which Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt poked him in the face, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com relays. “I must’ve said something to him during the game, and maybe it wasn’t very nice,” Sochan said. “He must have taken it in the wrong way and told me to see him after the game. So, I did. And we just had a polite exchange. I was, I think, intact and very joyful and the other person wasn’t. Yeah, he just wasn’t emotionally stable in that moment. So, it’s something he has to work on. It’s just life.”
- Late lottery pick Carter Bryant was assigned to the G League on Friday and played 28 minutes with the Austin Spurs, recording 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes, prior to being recalled on Saturday. According to Orsborn, coach Johnson said the rookie forward won’t be sent down on a regular basis. “That was the most minutes I have played since my senior year at high school, so it was a great opportunity for me to get some live reps, to see the ball go through basket a little bit,” said Bryant. “That’s the biggest thing in the game of basketball. If your confidence is lacking, it’s going to be hard for you to play no matter how good you are.”
LeBron James To Miss Wednesday’s Game, Reaches Limit To Qualify For Awards
Lakers star LeBron James has achieved All-NBA honors for the past 21 seasons, but the league’s 65-game rule may bring that streak to an end.
James has been downgraded to out for Wednesday’s game at San Antonio due to left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). L.A. is on the second night of a back-to-back, and James logged 33 minutes in Tuesday’s win at New Orleans.
Tonight will mark the 17th missed game of the season for the 41-year-old James, who has been experiencing physical issues in his 23rd NBA season. He didn’t make his debut until November 18 after sitting out the first 14 games while recovering from sciatica. This will be just the third time he hasn’t been in the lineup since returning, but he’s already in a position where he would have to play every game for the rest of the season to reach 65.
That’s extremely unlikely considering James’ age and his importance to the Lakers in the playoffs, and it doesn’t appear that he’s concerned about it. James acknowledged Tuesday night that back-to-backs will be an iffy proposition moving forward.
“Every back-to-back for the rest of the season is TBD,” he said (Twitter video link from McMenamin). “I am 41, I got the most minutes in NBA history … bank it right now.”
Coach JJ Redick said he hopes James will be able to suit up in both nights of back-to-backs at some point, McMenamin tweets, but he was feeling pain in his left foot following Tuesday’s contest.
James was a second-team All-NBA selection last season and finished sixth in MVP voting as he appeared in 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 34.9 minutes per night. His production has fallen to 21.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 6.8 APG so far this season.
He has experienced injury issues before, playing in just 45 games in 2020/21, 56 games in 2021/22 and 55 games in 2022/23. However, the NBA hadn’t instituted its 65-game minimum at the time, and his performance was strong enough to convince voters that he was worthy of All-NBA honors.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who had been listed as questionable with a left knee bone bruise, has been cleared to play, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Injury Notes: Oubre, Watford, Vincent, LeBron, Wemby, Harden, More
The Sixers are expected to get a pair of forwards back from injuries on Wednesday vs. Washington, having upgraded Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford to probable after they participated in today’s shootaround, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oubre has been out since November 14 due to a left knee sprain, while Watford – who has been recovering from a left adductor strain – last played on November 25.
Both Sixers vets had been playing some of the best basketball of their careers before going down with injuries. Oubre started all 12 games he played in the fall and scored 16.8 points per game with a career-high 49.7% field goal percentage. Watford averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 20.4 minutes per game with a .534/.389/.800 shooting line in 14 appearances (four starts).
Here are more injury updates from across the NBA:
- Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) is no longer on the injury report and appears on track to play on Wednesday vs. San Antonio after missing the past nine games, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Vincent last suited up on December 14.
- Lakers forward LeBron James (left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica) and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (left knee bone bruise) are both listed as questionable to play on Wednesday. Wembanyama returned from a two-game absence on Tuesday vs. Memphis and seemed fine after the game, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN, who says (via Twitter) that the plan is to have Wembanyama play vs. Los Angeles if he feels up to it.
- Clippers guard James Harden, who sat out on Monday due to shoulder stiffness, is probable to return on Wednesday vs. the Knicks, who will still be without Josh Hart (right ankle sprain), tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Hart has missed New York’s past six games, four of which were losses.
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who has been out for two games with a right knee MCL contusion, hasn’t progressed to contact or on-court work yet, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). “Just slowly seeing how he responds to the treatment that he does day-to-day,” Mosley said.
- While there’s still no word on a potential timeline or target date for his return, Kyrie Irving traveled with the Mavericks to Sacramento this week and completed a workout with assistant coach Phil Handy following the team’s shootaround on Tuesday, writes Grant Afseth of The Dallas Hoops Journal. Irving’s presence on the three-game road trip is a sign of progress, according to Afseth, who adds that forward P.J. Washington is considered day-to-day after sitting out Saturday’s game with a right ankle sprain.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Murray, Jones, Wemby
As trade rumors continue to swirl around Anthony Davis, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said during an appearance on NBA Today on Monday that the Mavericks big man isn’t actively seeking a trade out of Dallas despite the team’s struggles in the past year.
“AD’s preference would be to stay in Dallas and to get that extension this summer,” MacMahon said (Twitter video link). “Now, does that make sense for a team trying to build around a teenage prodigy (Cooper Flagg)? I think you can answer that question on your own.”
Davis’ maximum-salary contract pays him $54.1MM this season and $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28. While that number is manageable for now, an extension would likely overlap with Flagg’s second NBA contract — it would also begin when Davis, who has a lengthy injury history, is in his mid-30s. That’s a risky proposition not just for the Mavs but for any team entertaining the idea of pursuing a trade for the 10-time All-Star.
“The Mavericks are trying to generate a good trade market for Anthony Davis,” MacMahon said. “That is difficult because of the durability issues, and I think more so the dollars. In a situation like this, (agent) Rich Paul is going to be involved (and is) going to want AD traded somewhere that is willing to give him a long, lucrative extension. I just think mid-season it’s going to be very difficult to make all those pieces fit.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Asked over the weekend whether he expects guard Dejounte Murray to play this season, Pelicans head coach James Borrego told reporters – including Rod Walker of NOLA.com – that he “can’t say for sure.” However, Borrego suggested there should be an update on Murray, who is making his way back from an Achilles tear, in the coming weeks. “He’s making a lot of progress,” Borrego said. “We hope to get him back in our building here soon. He’s doing a lot of work getting ready to get back here. I say in the next month we’ll have a little bit more clarity on where he’s at. But he’s made a lot of progress. Significant progress.”
- Pelicans forward Herbert Jones has a chance to return to action on Tuesday vs. the Lakers after missing the past seven games with a right ankle sprain. Jones is listed as questionable, according to the team. He has been limited to 22 outings so far this season due to injuries, including a calf strain that cost him eight games in the fall.
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is also on the verge of making his return. He’s listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Memphis after participating in 5-on-5 work on Monday, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama, who has been out for the past two games due to a left knee bone bruise, will be reevaluated ahead of Tuesday’s game, which is the first of a back-to-back set. If Wembanyama doesn’t end up playing on Tuesday, he could be activated on Wednesday against the Lakers.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Jones, Sengun, Wemby, K. Johnson
Zion Williamson scored a season-high 35 points on Friday against Portland but the shorthanded Pelicans dropped their sixth straight game, writes Lee East of NOLA.com.
“He looks great,” head coach James Borrego said of Williamson, who has notched 30-plus points in three straight contests, matching a career high. “His spirit is right. His mind is right. He’s fresh, he’s aggressive. He’s really confident right now. It’s as well as I think he’s played in a while. I’ve seen this before, but in the recent history this is probably the best. Mentally and physically he looks really strong.”
The Pelicans were down four key rotation players, with Herbert Jones (right ankle sprain), Trey Murphy III (lower back soreness), Derik Queen (left quad contusion) and Saddiq Bey (right hip flexor strain) all sidelined.
Jones will miss his seventh straight game Sunday in Miami, per the league’s official injury report, while Bey will be out for the second time in a row. Both Murphy – whose injury designation has changed to low back spasms – and Queen are questionable to suit up against the Heat.
New Orleans’ losing streak directly correlates to Jones’ absence and that’s not a coincidence, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Since Borrego took over as interim head coach, the Pelicans are 5-5 with Jones in the lineup and 1-13 when their top defensive player has been unavailable, Walker notes.
“One guy left the lineup, Herb Jones,” Borrego said. “He’s incredible. But that doesn’t excuse our defense. If we’ve got to get Herb back to hold people under 130, that’s unacceptable.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun suffered a lateral right ankle sprain just over a minute into Saturday’s game at Dallas and was ruled out for the remainder of the eventual loss, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. The Turkish big man, who made his first All-Star appearance last season, recently returned from a left soleus (calf) strain. Backup center Steven Adams was also out for a second consecutive game due to his own right ankle sprain, MacMahon adds.
- While Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (hyperextended left knee) missed his second straight game Saturday vs. Portland, head coach Mitch Johnson expects the star big man to travel to Memphis for Tuesday’s matchup with the Grizzlies, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. That doesn’t necessarily mean Wembanyama will play Tuesday, but it’s certainly an encouraging sign. “[He’s] looking really good,” Johnson said, per Orsborn.
- Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is beloved for the levity he brings to the locker room and the contagious energy he provides when he’s cheering on his teammates, as Jared Weiss details for The Athletic. Johnson is the standard-bearer of San Antonio’s culture. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise,” coach Mitch Johnson said, “but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team.”
Devin Vassell To Miss Time With Left Adductor Strain
Spurs wing Devin Vassell recently underwent an MRI which confirmed he has a left adductor strain, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape).
Vassell, a sixth-year guard/forward who played two seasons of college ball at Florida State, suffered the injury in Monday’s loss to Cleveland.
While the Spurs didn’t specify how much time Vassell will miss due to the strained adductor, head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters ahead of Friday’s game at Indiana that the 25-year-old’s return isn’t imminent, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
“That will be more than a few games,” Johnson said. “Just kind of have to continue to see how he ramps up and feels. … We are encouraged by it in terms of, it should not be something that will be nagging him for the year. We just want to get him all the way right.”
Vassell started each of San Antonio’s first 32 games of 2025/26 prior to sitting out Wednesday’s win over New York. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.9 minutes per game while shooting 37.9% from three-point range.
Johnson was more optimistic regarding Victor Wembanyama‘s injury prognosis, McDonald adds. Johnson confirmed the team’s star center is considered day-to-day and didn’t rule out the possibility of Wembanyama suiting up on Saturday vs. Portland.
“It’s too quick to say for sure,” Johnson said. “But we’re encouraged by what we’ve seen.”
Spurs’ Wembanyama Out Friday, Considered Day-To-Day
Victor Wembanyama underwent an MRI on Thursday which confirmed the Spurs‘ star center did not suffer any ligament damage to his hyperextended left knee, reports Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
Wembanyama sustained the injury early in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s two-point victory over New York.
The French big man has been ruled out of Friday’s game at Indianapolis, as he didn’t travel with the team. However, Wembanyama may not be out long — Wright hears the former No. 1 overall pick will be listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. Portland and is considered day-to-day.
Wembanyama, whose official injury designation is left knee soreness, is hoping to return to action within the next week, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Friday will mark Wembanyama’s 13th absence of the season after he previously missed time with a calf strain. On Thursday night, Maxime Aubin of French outlet L’Équipe asked Wembanyama for his thoughts regarding the 65-game rule for players to qualify for major postseason awards (Twitter link).
“I don’t dislike that rule,” Wembanyama replied. “And yes, of course it’s in my mind, even if it’s not the first thing I think about. But I also know the Spurs’ medical staff will do their job regardless of that. That’s what we expect from them, and they’re very good at staying objective.”
Starting wing Devin Vassell will also be out Friday, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is expected to miss multiple games with a left adductor strain.