The NBA is kicking off the 2025-26 season with a brand-new tradition, one that will literally shine on the court. For the first time in league history, award winners from the previous season will wear special gold trophy patches on their jerseys during opening week. The initiative is designed to honor the league’s top performers while connecting fans more closely to the NBA’s award icons.
The three headliners for this year’s debut are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Evan Mobley, and Stephon Castle, who will each wear unique patches symbolizing their individual trophies.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, will sport a patch inspired by the Michael Jordan Trophy featuring a five-sided design to represent Jordan’s five MVP awards.
Mobley, who captured Defensive Player of the Year, will wear a patch modeled after the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, showing a player in a defensive stance.
Castle, the Rookie of the Year, will debut his own patch inspired by the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, celebrating his breakout rookie campaign with the San Antonio Spurs.
Each patch will appear above the Nike swoosh on the front of the uniform and will only be worn for the season opener. Afterward, the jerseys will be auctioned off through Sotheby’s, the NBA’s official partner for game-worn memorabilia. Every player will also receive a duplicate version to keep as a personal memento of their achievement.
In total, 35 players will wear some form of award patch this week, including All-NBA, All-Defensive, and All-Rookie honorees. However, the NBA clarified that individual award winners will only wear their top honor. For instance, Gilgeous-Alexander, who was also named to the All-NBA First Team, will only wear his MVP patch.
This new recognition program also extends to the sidelines. Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, last year’s Coach of the Year, and Oklahoma City Thunder executive Sam Presti, the Executive of the Year, will each wear special gold lapels during their team’s season openers.
This initiative also ties into the NBA’s growing emphasis on branding its awards. In 2022, the league redesigned all major trophies, naming them after legends like Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Wilt Chamberlain. Now, the patches will help visually link players to those icons.
The league also plans to track player and fan response throughout the year to determine if the gold logos might become a permanent fixture. Fans can already expect to see photos and memorabilia sales tied to the patches, adding a collectible aspect to opening night.
The NBA has long used jersey patches for special occasions like Christmas Day games or the Finals, but this is the first time they’ve been tied directly to individual player honors. It’s a small detail, but one that could have a big impact.
When Gilgeous-Alexander, Mobley, and Castle take the floor this week, they won’t just be representing their teams. They’ll be representing excellence, stitched in gold.
