NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the regular season and NBA Finals MVP awards last year en route to his first championship.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander had another strong season that put him back in the MVP conversation for 2025-26, Victor Wembanyama believes there should be a clear favorite for the award.
Wembanyama scored 26 points in Monday’s win over the Miami Heat, helping the Spurs win the division title and end a six-season playoff drought, and then announced that he would silence any MVP debate.
“I’ve thought about it,” said the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year. “I think right now, there is a debate. There should be, although I think I should lead the race. I’m trying to make sure that at the end of the season, there is no debate.”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ONE OF THE GAMES ON FOXNEWS.COM
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat during the second quarter at the Kaseya Center on Oct. 15, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photos by Sam Navarro/Imagn)
Wembanyama enters Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.0 blocked shots per game.
NBA CHAMP’S IRONMAN STREAK COMES TO QUICK END DUE TO BIZARRE INJURY
While those numbers help bolster Wembanyama’s MVP case, others could make a case. Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, is considered the frontrunner.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives the ball during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on March 17, 2026. (Photos by Sergio Estrada/Imagn)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, a three-time MVP, currently has the best chance to win the award this year, while Wembanyama sits in third place, according to data compiled by ESPN. New NBA rules require at least 65 games played for a player to be eligible for the MVP award.
Wembanyama also presented a three-part case to support his bid for MVP.
“My first is that the defense is 50% of the game and it has not been respected so far in the MVP race. I believe that I am a player who has a big impact on the defense of the league,” said Wembanyama. “The second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season, and we dominated them three times against their original team … The third argument would be that the impact of the offense is not just the points.”
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting the game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns in the final seconds of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Texas, March 19, 2026. (Photo by Eric Gay/AP)
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has expressed his support for Wembanyama’s MVP campaign, pointing to the impact he sees every day after the game.
“I think he’s close,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “All those guys you mentioned are deserving; a few of them already have that award. And I’m very biased. I get to see one of those guys every single night. I get to see him on the practice field. I get to see what he’s doing in the morning. I get to see what he’s doing right now, after the game. So, I understand my perspective and my perspective and perspective is a lot different than everybody else’s.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
San Antonio enters Wednesday with 54 wins and will enter the playoffs no lower than the No. 1 seed. 2 in the Western Conference.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on Xand register at the Fox News Sports Huddle.
