In an unprecedented move to go along with the 2025-26 season debut, the NBA will place unique jersey patches for award winners. This change is intended to commemorate the accomplishments of the leagues players and to increase awareness of several different league awards. Only 35 players get the honor of donning these unique patches. These patches proudly display their hard-earned accolades on the front of each player’s uniform.
Some big names are signing on to this program. Look for Jalen Brunson to wear the Clutch Player of the Year patch with pride, and Stephen Curry to sport the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year patch. Payton Pritchard will be the first to wear the newly designed Sixth Man of the Year patch with pride. In other news, Dyson Daniels will debut the Most Improved Player of the Year patch. Jrue Holiday will have the Sportsmanship Award patch on his jersey, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will proudly sport an MVP patch. Evan Mobley is going to have an opportunity on his chest to show how he earned the Defensive Player of the Year. Meantime, Stephon Castle will be wearing the Rookie of the Year patch.
The patches, to be located just above the traditional Nike swoosh on players’ jerseys, are meant to be big, bold, eye-catching and relevant. No MVP patch will stand out more this season than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s, with its unique five-sided southwest corner-inspired design. While Evan Mobley’s patch features him in a defensive stance, highlighting his elite anchor defensive abilities.
Deepening the NBA’s commitment to making its awards matter, this new program is the latest of the NBA’s moves to increase the importance of its honors. Anthony Gharib, a local NBA representative, emphasized that the national league is aggressively leaning into this effort. Their aim is to make sure that award-winning projects receive the fanfare they rightfully should.
“Just by the way it works out and how we issue awards, it’s sort of the last thing we issue and we talk about. And so it doesn’t get the flowers like we were talking about …” – Anthony Gharib
The patches represent success. Perhaps more importantly, they hope to build a legacy and culture that’s appealing to the players and fans alike. Gharib then reflected on the need to do justice to these awards, both for recipients and communities in a visible way.
“We love our trophies. We love the tradition we’ve built. We love the consistency. The icons that we want them to become,” – Anthony Gharib
The NBA is looking to enhance the connection between players and their accomplishments. They are doing this by including those patches as part of their game-day uniforms. Gharib explained that delivering this front-facing exposure is a smart, intentional play to raise the profile of these honors.
“And so we’re hoping by giving them some front-facing exposure here, that people will start to connect the dots and they’ll be as revered as any other trophy in sports.” – Anthony Gharib
The new patches will take their first field steps during the season’s opening weekend Challenge Cup. This will bring even additional meaning for the participants and spectators alike. Now, the league is hoping to turn this practice into a permanent annual tradition. Beyond award ceremonies, they will help these winners get recognized for their achievements on-court.
“We want this to be a tradition, so when a player does win an award and he does have the opportunity to hold the trophy up or not, he knows that next season, I’m getting a patch,” – Anthony Gharib
Stay tuned as the excitement continues to grow with a new season ahead! Fans will be excited to see these award-winning athletes proudly displaying their accomplishments on their jerseys. The introduction of these jersey patches marks a new chapter in how the NBA honors its elite performers, setting a precedent for future seasons.
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