NBA Summer Forecast 2026-27: Predictions for every major award - ESPN

Which stars will be in the race for some of the NBA's most highly touted awards next season?

Last season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home his second consecutive MVP award, becoming only the fifth active player to claim that honor in back-to-back seasons. Victor Wembanyama will be one of the major front-runners for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors after the French phenom took home the latter award unanimously.

The race for Rookie of the Year will also be one to watch with a talented wave of first-year players joining the pros, led by Washington Wizards' No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa and Utah Jazz's No. 2 selection Darryn Peterson. Unlike in recent years, there seems to be no set front-runner for this award, and how these rookies adjust to the league will be the storyline to observe.

After forecasting each team's record on Monday, plus conference and Finals predictions on Tuesday, we asked our Summer Forecast panel — a group of NBA experts, including reporters, editors and analysts — to rank its top three choices for the NBA's six major awards, with a first-place vote receiving five points, a second-place vote receiving three and a third-place vote receiving one.

Here are the results:

(Note: Summer Forecast continues Thursday with NBA experts answering the biggest questions heading into the 2026-27 season)

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: 102 points
2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 31 points
3. Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers: 28 points
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: 26 points
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat: eight points

Wembanyama campaigned hard last season for the MVP award, only to finish third in voting behind Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time winner Jokic. Still, Wembanyama