The 2025/2026 NBA Season is Already One for the History Books

There is no denying the fact that basketball has been at some of its absolute best in recent years. With records being broken left and right, players being more athletic and more talented than ever, coaching changes, and the incredible explosion of data analytics and advanced stats, the sport is as close to a full blown science at this point. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the epitome of this beautiful game and naturally brings together the best minds in the sport, and of course, the best players. Among 30 teams, each having 15 active players on the roster, that is exactly 450 names, as the best players in the world. 

In the ongoing season, this has been more evident than ever before. Every night, there is something incredible worth talking about. And by that, as fans can agree, it is not sensationalism and news outlets blowing stuff out of proportion. When you have players like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic dominating the opposition, it does not take much to have your expectations met, and then some. And what can be said about the Oklahoma City Thunder and their 23-1 start to the season?! They are not even healthy yet! 

The ongoing 2025/26 season has been so entertaining in the first quarter of the season that we are left wondering what can come next. With the NBA Cup in its quarter final stages, new injuries are propelling new faces into the bigger picture, years old streaks ending, and the league has it all. If you are a fan of the sport and the best league in the world, read on for the hottest news on NBA teams and players. If you are a wagering enthusiast who likes to bet on NBA games, such information is vital for winning picks! 

OKC is Redefining What it Means to Defend the Title 

Players will be the first to tell you that, following a title, what comes next is one of the most difficult seasons in your career. With the title in hand, you also have a target on your back because now everyone plays a bit harder just to beat you and claim they have beaten the champions. No other team wants to see you win again and repeat, because that not only means they are not the champion, but that they lost to you twice in a row, and now you are a dynasty while they keep failing. And yet, not every team loses its step in its title defense year. There have been dominant teams before that have kept it together. The 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors, most recently, the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, before them, the LA Lakers in 2009 and 2010, and from 2002 to 2003 before that. Those are dynasty teams, repeat and threepeat champions that go down in history. 

On the other hand, there are one and done champions. From the 2019 Toronto Raptors, each new season brought a new champion. The Lakers in 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, the GSW in 2022, the Denver Nuggets in 2023, the Boston Celtics in 2024, and then last year, the OKC Thunder. Seven seasons, seven different champions. However, it seems that the streak is over. Or rather, OKC will break the wheel entirely. Despite the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver trying to do everything to keep the league parity for a while, it seems all but over. Here is how the Oklahoma City Thunder got to the 23-1 record, the best in the NBA so far:

Their defending NBA Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, and Scoring Champion, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, has sat out 12 entire fourth quarters. He is averaging 3.5 minutes in the final period of the game and has only played 10 minutes in a 4Q once. His production must be down then, right? He cannot possibly be in the running for another MVP, can he? Nope, 32.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 55.6 FG%, 44.3 3P%, and 88.1 FT%.

• All NBA and All Defense player Jalen Williams (JDub) has only played 5 games so far after being injured. He is their second best player. 
• All Defense player and starter Luguentz Dort has missed 9 games.
• Chet Holmgren, their third best player and starter, has missed 4 games and is only averaging below 29 minutes per game. 
• Isaiah Hartenstein, starting center and defensive juggernaut, has been injured for their last 5 games. He is averaging below 28 minutes per game. 
• Alex Caruso, another defensive force, is injured. Their young Serbian point guard, Nikola Topic, is out indefinitely following a medical procedure. 
• Their projected best five players, the supposed starting five of SGA, Chet, JDub, Hartenstein, and Dort, have played ZERO MINUTES TOGETHER THIS SEASON! 
• They are beating teams by an average of 16 points per game.
• Their young bench players are getting a ton of minutes and growing at a rapid pace. 
• OKC holds multiple first round picks in the next several years, and the 2026 class is stacked.

Simply put, the team is redefining what it means to be not just a title contender, but a title defender. With no end in sight to their 15 game winning streak and the team still not fully healthy, it will be a long time before they lose. Their first target of the season? The NBA Cup that escaped them last year. Stake.com has them leading the odds to win the title again with 2.45, Shai leading the MVP race with 1.95 odds, and Chet Holmgren to win DPOY with 2.8 odds.  

LeBron’s Historic Scoring Run Finally Ends

But in what fashion did it end! With the last possession at the score against the Toronto Raptors tied at 120, LeBron James, driving to the paint and with a chance to prolong his streak and hit the game winner, passes to the open Rui Hachimura to the corner, who nails the three pointer. Lakers win, 123-120, and LeBron James’ streak of scoring 10 points in regular season games ends at an incredible, never to be broken 1297 games. Last time The King scored under 10 points? January 5, 2007. An 18 year streak of scoring at least 10 points in regular season games ended in the best way possible, a selfless play to a trusty teammate to win the game.

After the game, LeBron simply said, “We won” as a comment regarding how he felt, whether it was bittersweet or sad. He finished the game with 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, the final one of the game being crucial. Michael Jordan is the man behind him on the list, with over 400 fewer games at 866. The world was a much different place when the record started: LeBron was 23, Payton Manning had 0 Super Bowl wins, the iPhone did not exist, Shai was 8 years old, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry were in college, and most of the young NBA fans today, and many NBA players currently in the league, had not yet been born. Cooper Flagg was 15 days old (born December 21, 2006). 

The Injury Bug Strikes Again 

If the NBA is better than ever in terms of record breaking performances, viewer count, and extraordinary entertainment factor, one thing keeps being worse than ever: injuries. And not just any injuries, but serious ones to none other than some of the biggest stars in the sport. We had already lost a few big names at the end of last season, namely Jason Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard, all of whom tore their Achilles tendons. This put three teams straight out of commission, with the Celtics and Pacers revamping their rosters and getting ready for a “lost” season, one a year removed from winning a title, and the other one following a finals appearance. Lillard had just won the NBA Cup with the Bucks and started playing great again. 

At the moment of writing, plenty of major names are hurt. Stephen Curry is out with a quad. Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury. Franz Wagner has a strained high ankle. Victor Wembanyama has been out for a month with a calf sprain. Kyrie Irving has been out so far this season, Trae Young and Devin Booker have been on prolonged absences, Domantas Sabonis has been out for a long time, and Zion Williamson is hurt again…the list does not end. These are all stars, some of the best players in the league. Imagine if everyone were healthy and playing, the whole power balance would shift. Availability is the best ability, and with the league introducing the limit of 65 games played for major awards and accolades, never again might we see career spanning successes like those of the olden days. Here’s to every injured player’s health! 

Rapid Fire News Section 

Shaquille O’Neal crashes the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw

At the 2026 World Cup Final Draw, it was not a national team official grabbing headlines or a team getting an interesting draw that captured the attention of the crowd. No. As always, it was the showman himself, the man of a thousand nicknames, Shaquille O’Neal. The former NBA champion and MVP walked on stage with his usual larger than life presence, towering over comedian co host Kevin Hart and stealing the show with a mix of jokes and theatrical swagger. As part of his role, O’Neal placed Australia in the same group as the USMNT, a draw many analysts now deem more than manageable for the host country. His appearance turned a very formal draw into a pop culture moment that drew laughs, inspired memes, and caused global attention well beyond basketball and football.

Kevin Durant rockets past 31,000 career points in Rockets win

Meanwhile, in Houston, the newest team in his first season there, one of the most lethal scorers in the history of the game, Kevin Durant, joined the elite 31,000 point club. On December 5, 2025, with a turnaround jump shot in the first quarter, The Slim Reaper hit the milestone during the Houston Rockets’ 117-98 win over the Phoenix Suns, his former team. He finished the game with 28 points, earning standing ovations from teammates and fans alike. At 37 and in his 19th season, Durant’s consistency continues to impress, especially following the Achilles tear in the 2019 finals, and moves him closer to climbing even higher on the all time scoring list.

James Harden enters the NBA’s top 10 all time scoring list

Not to be outdone, James Harden, Durant’s former teammate in OKC and BKN, passed a major career milestone too. In a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 7, 2025, Harden’s 34 points pushed him past Carmelo Anthony, officially putting “The Beard” among the top 10 scorers of all time. Although the Los Angeles Clippers lost 109-106 that night, as they tend to do this season, the achievement reaffirms Harden’s status as one of the most prolific scorers of his generation and the history of the game.

LeBron James passes Robert Parish on the all time win list

You thought we were done with The Chosen One in this article? Well, hardly, as it is Bron after all. With the Los Angeles Lakers’ 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on December 7, 2025, LeBron notched his 1,015th regular season victory, officially moving past Celtics legend Robert Parish and becoming second all time in regular season wins. Now only Kareem Abdul Jabbar himself stands ahead, with 1,074 wins. This record is one of the rare ones that LeBron is missing. But with his longevity, consistency, and enduring impact on winning basketball, even deep into his 23rd NBA season, it is only a matter of time before he is number one. There are 59 more regular season games left in the 2025/26 season, exactly how many he needs to tie the record. It is safe to say that he will break it next year! 

• Early season standouts: strong team starts, surprising performances under the radar. It is not only big names making headlines. Teams like the New York Knicks have defended strong home records, while the Detroit Pistons are turning heads as they dominate the wide open Eastern Conference with a 19-5 record. Jalen Brunson dropped 30 points and 9 assists, with OG Anunoby and Josh Hart also contributing significantly to keep NYK’s home record near perfect at 13-1. The Lakers are playing out of their minds, led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the dynamic backcourt duo that averages 63.4 points per game! Luka currently leads the league with 35 PPG.