MODERN National Basketball League (NBL) great Bryce Cotton has added to his already ridiculous trophy cabinet, claiming a sixth Andrew Gaze Trophy for the Most Valuable Player in the competition, moving just one title behind the trophy’s namesake.

It was his third consecutive MVP award, having taken out the top gong in both 2024 and 2025, as well as 2018, 2020 and 2021 prior to that. Cotton edged out fellow guard Kendric Davis for the trophy, winning by just two votes in one of the closest finishes in recent years, which made sense considering how well both players had performed throughout the 2025/26 season.

Cotton sensationally made the move from the Perth Wildcats to the Adelaide 36ers over the offseason in one of the biggest signings in NBL history. Having forged his career in Western Australia, it was going to be a different look for the superstar, but immediately launched the Sixers into championship contention given his excellence on the court.

The 33-year-old certainly delivered on his reputation, leading his new side to top spot for most of the season and a top-two finish after the final round, and in the postseason, there is no one more dangerous than Cotton. He has proven himself to be the type of player teams build their offence around, and made Adelaide a much more dangerous unit.

He was the league leader in points at 25.7 per game and assists at 7.6 per game, which was also a career-high figure. Cotton also had his best-ever steals campaign, posting 1.8 per game along with 3.6 boards across his 32 games.

The six-time MVP also showed that he can still reach unmatchable heights on the scoring front, as highlighted by his 53-point eruption against the Cairns Taipans back in October. It was an early-season performance that sent a clear message to the remainder of the competition – new colours, same Bryce.

He ended up leading Adelaide to a record of 23 wins and 10 losses, which was good enough for second place and a genuine crack at the championship despite only one postseason appearance since 2019, such is the power of Cotton’s offensive engine.

Finishing in second place was Davis, who narrowly missed out on claiming his first Andrew Gaze Trophy in his second season in the NBL. Another offseason mover, Davis departed the Sixers and headed to the harbour city to join the Sydney Kings and under Brian Goorjian, was able to improve on an impressive campaign last season.

Given the keys to the kingdom on the offensive end for Sydney, Davis ensured the Kings not only remained competitive, but finished the 2025/26 season at the top of the ladder with 24 wins and nine losses, entering the postseason as championship favourites following a 10-game winning streak to close out the fixture.

A lightning quick operator, Davis was the perfect go-to guy for the Kings, averaging 24.4 points, 3.9 assists and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 48 per cent from the field, orchestrating Sydney’s offence perfectly and putting forth several matchwinning performances.

He too showed his scoring capabilities with several standout performances over the course of the home and away fixture. Davis’ best came against the Tasmania JackJumpers (a team which he enjoys plenty of success against), dropping 40 points and dishing out eight assists on January 22 in a performance that put his name in the MVP conversation.

Finishing in equal third place were Perth Wildcats forward Kristian Doolittle and SEM Phoenix veteran Nathan Sobey. Doolittle was given the role of number-one option for the Wildcats following the departure of Cotton and stepped up in a big way, posting 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per match, and leading the Wildcats to a top-four spot.

Despite being 35 years of age, Sobey put together a career-best campaign with the Phoenix this season, shouldering the offensive load for most of the season and helping the team surpass expectations and finish in third spot. The guard delivered numbers of 22 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game and showed no signs of slowing down.

Andrew Gaze Trophy for Most Valuable Player

Bryce Cotton (Adelaide 36ers) – 96 votes
Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings) – 94 votes
Kristian Doolittle (Perth Wildcats) and Nathan Sobey (South East Melbourne Phoenix) – 59 votes