Taipei: Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards point guard Gao Jin-wei earned the 2025-26 Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) regular season MVP award on Wednesday. Gao outperformed New Taipei CTBC DEA forward Mohanned Al Bachir Gadiaga and Hsinchu Lioneers guard Kao Kuo-hao to claim the trophy at the league's annual award ceremony in Taipei.

According to Focus Taiwan, Gao expressed his surprise and gratitude after receiving the award from TPBL President Chuang Jui-hsiung. Despite being critical of his own performance this season, Gao acknowledged the effort he put into his work and believed he deserved the recognition. Gao played all 36 regular-season games, achieving an average of 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. His scoring was the third highest among local players, trailing Gadiaga's 17.9 points and Kao's 14.7 points.

Gao also stood out as the league's top three-point shooter with 103 successful attempts, shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. Gadiaga followed with 79 made threes. A TPBL press release on Wednesday highlighted that Gao received 118 of 130 media points and 14,826 fan votes, securing 47.7 percent of the combined vote.

Gao's teammate, Lasannah Kromah, was honored as the Most Valuable Import at the ceremony. Kromah excelled with a league-leading 2.8 steals per game and averaged 24.2 points and 6.5 assists, ranking third and fourth in the league, respectively. Despite their strong performance leading to a league-best 23-13 regular-season record, the Leopards were eliminated by the New Taipei Kings in the first round of the playoffs, losing the series 3-1.

Additionally, the Rookie of the Year award was given to Lioneers guard Liu Cheng-hsun, who averaged nearly 25.5 minutes per game across all 36 regular-season games, posting 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Liu received all 130 media points and 21,660 fan votes, garnering 64.6 percent of the vote, as stated by the league.

The 2025-26 TPBL season concluded with the Formosa Dreamers defeating the Kings 90-78 in Taichung, winning the Finals series 4-3. After trailing 3-1, the Dreamers made a remarkable comeback to clinch their first professional championship.