Victor Wembanyama builds MVP case as Spurs clinch division, end playoff drought

Oklahoma City Thunder defender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander swept the regular-season and NBA Finals MVP awards past twelvemonth en way to his archetypal championship.

While Gilgeous-Alexander is having different beardown play that has enactment him backmost successful MVP discussions for 2025-26, Victor Wembanyama believes determination should beryllium a clear-cut favourite for the award.

Wembanyama scored 26 points successful Monday’s triumph implicit the Miami Heat, helping the Spurs clinch a part rubric and extremity a six-season playoff drought, past declaring that helium would soundlessness immoderate MVP debate.

"I person thought astir it," the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year said. "I deliberation close now, determination is simply a debate. There should be, adjacent though I deliberation I should pb the race. I'm trying to marque definite that astatine the extremity of the season, there's nary debate."

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San Antonio Spurs halfway Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the handbasket against the Miami Heat during the 2nd 4th astatine Kaseya Center successful Oct. 15, 2024 successful Miami, Florida.  (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

Wembanyama enters Wednesday's matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.0 blocked shots per game.

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While those numbers assistance bolster Wembanyama’s MVP case, others tin marque a lawsuit arsenic well. In summation to Gilgeous-Alexander, Los Angeles Lakers defender Luka Doncic, the NBA’s starring scorer, is besides considered a apical candidate.

San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama (1) dribbles the shot during the 2nd 4th against the Sacramento Kings astatine Golden 1 Center successful Sacramento, California connected March 17, 2026. (Sergio Estrada/Imagn Images)

Denver Nuggets halfway Nikola Jokić, already a three-time MVP, presently holds somewhat amended likelihood to triumph the grant this year, with Wembanyama sitting third, according to information compiled by ESPN. New NBA rules necessitate a minimum of 65 games played for a subordinate to beryllium eligible for the MVP award.

Wembanyama besides laid retired a three-part lawsuit to enactment his MVP bid.

"My archetypal 1 would beryllium that defence is 50% of the crippled and that it is undervalued truthful acold successful the MVP race. I judge I'm the astir impactful subordinate defensively successful the league," Wembanyama said. "Second statement would beryllium that we astir swept OKC successful the season, and we dominated them 3 times with their existent team. ... The 3rd statement would beryllium that discourtesy interaction is not conscionable points."

San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama, center, celebrates with teammates aft hitting a game-winning changeable against the Phoenix Suns successful the last seconds of an NBA hoops crippled successful San Antonio, Texas, connected March 19, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

Spurs manager Mitch Johnson voiced beardown enactment for Wembanyama’s MVP campaign, pointing to the interaction helium sees each time down the scenes.

"I deliberation he's close," Spurs manager Mitch Johnson said. "All those guys you named are deserving; a mates of them already person that award. And I'm precise biased. I get to spot 1 of those guys each azygous night. I get to spot him connected the signifier court. I get to spot what helium does successful the morning. I get to spot what does close now, aft the game. So, I recognize my sentiment and outlook and position is precise antithetic than astir everyone else."

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San Antonio enters Wednesday with 54 wins and volition caput into the playoffs nary little than the No. 2 effect successful the Western Conference.

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