Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons led the NBA in steals in 2025-26 at 2.0 a game, with 146 steals in 73 games. No sportsbook price for the 2026-27 steals title is on this page yet: ESPN’s futures listing for the new season had no steals market on September 30, 2026.
The race was close at the top. Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks, the leader in 2024-25 at 3.0 a game, finished second with 149 steals in 76 games, which rounds to the same 2.0 but works out at 1.96. The 2026-27 regular season opens on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and our NBA predictions carry our call on the games we cover.
The 2025-26 steals leaders
These are NBA.com’s league leaders for the 2025-26 regular season, which count only players who met the games-played minimum.
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Minutes a game | Steals a game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ausar Thompson | Detroit Pistons | 73 | 26.0 | 2.0 |
| 2 | Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks | 76 | 33.2 | 2.0 |
| 3 | Cason Wallace | Oklahoma City Thunder | 77 | 26.6 | 1.9 |
| 4 | Kawhi Leonard | LA Clippers | 65 | 32.1 | 1.9 |
| 5 | Tyrese Maxey | Philadelphia 76ers | 70 | 38.0 | 1.9 |
| 6 | Luka Doncic | Los Angeles Lakers | 64 | 35.8 | 1.6 |
| 7 | Kris Dunn | LA Clippers | 82 | 27.2 | 1.6 |
| 8 | OG Anunoby | New York Knicks | 67 | 33.2 | 1.6 |
Thompson won it on the fewest minutes of the top five. He played 26.0 a game, 7.2 fewer than Daniels, and still took the ball away more often per night.
The total is a different race. Cason Wallace had the most steals of anyone, 150 in 77 games, one more than Daniels and four more than Thompson. The title goes to the per-game average, so Wallace finished third.
Who qualifies for the steals title
The steals title goes to the per-game leader at the end of the regular season, among players who qualify. The NBA’s statistical minimums say a player must appear in 70% of his team’s games to qualify for the steals lead, which is 58 games in an 82-game season.
There is one exception. A player short of 58 games still qualifies if his steal total, divided by 58, would beat every qualified player. Kevin Porter Jr. of the Milwaukee Bucks averaged 2.2 steals in 38 games in 2025-26, higher than Thompson, according to ESPN’s leaders list. His 83 steals over 58 games come to 1.4, so he was not in the race.
That is why games and minutes matter as much as the rate. A player who misses 25 games is out unless his total clears that exception. A player whose minutes are cut loses chances to reach the number, since steals are counted per game played and not per minute.
What this page said last season
The 2025-26 version of this page used Caesars prices and named two bets: Daniels at -125 and Anunoby at +2400. Daniels finished second by a fraction of a steal, and Anunoby finished eighth at 1.6 a game. Thompson, the winner, was listed on that board at +650.
We make no pick on the steals title for 2026-27. Our method is built for single games, and it says nothing about a season-long stat race.
Where to go before opening night
Our NBA betting guide is set up for the 2026-27 season, and each team’s page is reached from our NBA teams page. The first three games on October 20 are Boston at Detroit, Philadelphia at New York and Oklahoma City at San Antonio, according to ESPN’s schedule.
For the award races that already have prices, see our NBA MVP odds. ESPN’s futures listing for 2026-27 had 17 DraftKings markets on September 30, including MVP, Rookie of the Year and the championship.