East Asia Super League has expanded its award list for the 2025-26 season, adding an All-Defensive Team, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year alongside the existing EASL Spalding Finals MVP and All-EASL Team honors.

Utsunomiya Brex's Makoto Hiejima claimed the EASL Spalding Finals MVP award after leading the B.LEAGUE powerhouse to the championship. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 assists and four rebounds per game during the Finals while shooting 60% from 3-point range. In the group stage, Hiejima averaged 14.7 points and made 15 3-pointers.  

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‍The 2025-26 All-EASL Team consists of:

• D.J. Newbill (Utsunomiya Brex)

• Lu Chun-Hsiang (Taoyuan Pauian Pilots)

• Makoto Hiejima (Utsunomiya Brex)

• Jack Cooley (Ryukyu Golden Kings)  

• Will Artino (Taoyuan Pauian Pilots)  

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Newbill earns All-EASL Team honors alongside teammate Hiejima, having led all players who appeared in multiple Finals games in both points (23.2) and assists (7.7) while raising his numbers across the board from the group stage.

Lu is the only member of this year's All-EASL Team to earn a second straight call-up, and it comes off another strong season — he was the only local to lead his team in scoring across all 12 clubs during the regular season and became just the second player in EASL history to reach 300 career points, and the first local to do so.

In the frontcourt, Jack Cooley and Will Artino complete the team. Cooley — EASL's all-time leading rebounder — became the first player ever to reach 200 career rebounds this season and led Ryukyu in both points (20.5) and rebounds (10) in the Finals. Artino, in his first season with Taoyuan, led the Pilots in rebounds (10.2) during the regular season and finished second for the runners-up in total points (54) in the Finals.  

The All-EASL Team evaluates player performance across the regular season. It takes into account the number of games played, with greater availability being a key factor. It also considers each player’s overall impact on their team. This includes how valuable they are within their role and how far they helped their team advance in the competition.

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The 2025-26 EASL Defensive Player of the Year: Alec Brown (Taoyuan Pauian Pilots)

In his second EASL campaign with Taoyuan, Alec Brown earns the first-ever EASL Defensive Player of the Year award after establishing himself as the all-time leader in blocks in EASL history.  

A cornerstone of the Pilots' back-to-back championship game appearances, Brown led all players in blocks per game through the group stage (2.2) and carried that form into the Finals, where he led all players who appeared in multiple games in blocks per game (1.3). Brown is the reigning P. LEAGUE+ Import Player of the Year.  

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The 2025-26 All-EASL Defensive Team consists of:

• D.J. Newbill (Utsunomiya Brex)

• Shinji Takashima (Utsunomiya Brex)

• Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Meralco Bolts)

• Jameel Warney (Seoul SK Knights)  

• Alec Brown (Taoyuan Pauian Pilots)  

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The first-ever EASL All-Defensive Team features two Utsunomiya Brex guards in Newbill and Takashima, who formed a tenacious backcourt defensive pairing for the champions — Newbill leading the team in steals (2) across nine games while Takashima, often tasked with guarding the opposition's best player, finished second in steals (1.2) across eight games in a championship-winning season.

Hollis-Jefferson, though his season was cut short by injury, was the only player in EASL this season to average at least one steal and two blocks per game and led the league in blocks per game — tied at 2.2 with Brown — across his five games played.

Warney finished top ten in blocks during the regular season and was one of only four players throughout the season to average at least one block and one steal per game across multiple games. Brown rounds out the team.

The All-Defensive Team recognizes the league's top defenders across the season, with selection based on key metrics including steals, blocks and defensive rebounding, as well as matchup quality, factoring in primary defensive assignments and overall value to the team on that end of the floor.

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The 2025-26 EASL Sixth-Man of the Year: Li Chia-Kang (Taoyuan Pauian Pilots)

In his second EASL campaign with Taoyuan, Li Chia-Kang earns the first-ever EASL Sixth Man of the Year award after appearing in all nine games as a key piece of the Pilots' rotation, finishing fourth in 3-pointers made and fifth in total points scored among Taoyuan players in the group stage.  

Logging just over 20 minutes per game, he provided steady production throughout the season and delivered a double-digit scoring performance in the championship game, helping guide Taoyuan to its second consecutive Finals appearance. Li is also the reigning P. LEAGUE+ Sixth-Man of the Year.  

The Sixth Man of the Year award recognizes the league's top performer off the bench, given to a player who starts more games as a reserve than in the starting lineup. Minutes played in a bench role, individual production, overall importance to the team, and how far the team advanced in the competition are all taken into account.

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NOTE: Throughout this release, "Finals" refers to the EASL Finals, the name given to EASL's postseason format for the 2025-26 season.