San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama has been making a strong case to win the 2025-26 MVP. He has been relatively healthy, which has led to this season being the most productive and successful season of his young career. The Spurs are currently second in the West with a 56-18 record.
There are only a few weeks left in the regular season, and Wembanyama leads the MVP race according to a recent update. There is a possibility that he is leading the race over other candidates, such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shaun Powell Names Victor Wembanyama MVP Front-Runner Over Nikola Jokić
On Friday, NBA.com’s Shaun Powell penned his latest article, naming Victor Wembanyama his front-runner to win the MVP Award over Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, and Nikola Jokić.
“Wembanyama is transforming into a historic defender in such a short period of time,” Powell wrote. “Usually, that’s the toughest part of the game for a young player to master. Wembanyama is different in that he entered the league with solid defensive instincts and, coupled with his enviable size, is making a massive impact here in his third season.”
https://t.co/wWGNmWnCY9’s updated MVP Ladder:
Victor Wembanyama
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Nikola Jokić
Luka Dončić
Jaylen Brown
Cade Cunningham
Jalen Johnson
Kawhi Leonard
Donovan Mitchell
Anthony Edwards
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 27, 2026
“He has 17 blocks in his last three games and is averaging nearly as many blocks per game this season as the Utah Jazz (3.8 bpg), Denver Nuggets (3.9) and Milwaukee Bucks (3.9) are as a team this season,” Powell added. “Finally, Wembanyama is doing this despite averaging under 30 minutes a night. His stats would expand with more minutes.”
Kenyon Martin Sr. Weighs In on Nikola Jokić’s MVP Case
Former Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin Sr. is among the many former players following the MVP debate. Jokić continues to be a central figure in those discussions. This season, Jokić is averaging 27.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game. He is also shooting highly efficiently from the floor and from behind the arc.
Jokić and the Nuggets are currently fourth in the Western Conference with a 47-28 record.
Wembanyama Makes His MVP Case Over Shai, Luka, and Jokic
Wembanyama recently spoke on his own behalf about why he should win the MVP Award this season. During an interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, he zeroed in on his impact on the defensive end of the floor, stating that he should automatically be considered for the award.
“My first one would be that defense is 50 percent of the game and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race,” Wembanyama said.
He added, “I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season, and we dominated them three times with their real team and four times with the, you know, more rotation players. My third argument would be that offense impact is not just points.”