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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – MARCH 19: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is surrounded by teammates after he scored the game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center on March 19, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs has been making a strong case for the MVP award all season, in what has been the healthiest, most productive, and most successful year of his NBA career.
While there are still a few more weeks of the season to go, Wembanyama remains a top favorite for the MVP award, and based on the latest update, he could be leading the race over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the latest MVP ladder published on NBA.com, Shaun Powell listed Wembanyama as the favorite for the award, over the two other stars as well as Nikola Jokic and Jaylen Brown.
In 58 games this season, Wembanyama is averaging 24.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, three assists, and 3.1 blocks on 50.5% shooting, having the best season of his career while San Antonio is 55-18 and second in the West.
Victor Wembanyama Leads NBA MVP Ladder
Per Powell of NBA.com, Wembanyama is now the leader in the clubhouse for the MVP award this season. He’s previously trailed Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic in the race, but while Doncic has been making a strong case to win the award himself over the past few weeks, he still sits behind the franchise star of the Spurs.
“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.”
The Spurs are currently third in net rating, third in defensive rating, and fifth in offensive rating in what has been Wembanyama’s healthiest season of his early career. They have the second best record in the NBA, and while he’s been undoubtedly their best player, he’s been mentioned in the MVP race all season.
But recently, with the impact he’s shown on both ends of the court, excluding him from the conversation has now become a near-impossible task.
“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 about his defensive impact. “Finally, Wembanyama is doing this despite averaging under 30 minutes a night. His stats would expand with more minutes.”
If he does win the MVP this season, which feels more and more like a possibility, Wembanyama would be the youngest player in NBA history to take home the honor.
Victor Wembanyama On Why He Should Win The MVP Award
While he’s been campaigning for himself to win the award throughout the season, Wembanyama recently spoke to the media to explain why he deserves the MVP trophy over everyone else.
When speaking to Jared Weiss of The Athletic after a recent game, the Spurs’ star said that, due to how much he prioritizes and impacts the game on defense, 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. “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.”
While he might not have the same scoring numbers as either Gilgeous-Alexander, Doncic, or Jokic, Wembanyama’s combined impact across all 92 feet of the basketball court is what makes him a favorite for the MVP. San Antonio is a strong team full of talented players, but it’s fair to say that without what he brings on defense, they wouldn’t be anywhere close to where they are now in the standings.
When talking about his MVP case, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors agreed with many of the points the 22-year-old from the Spurs brought up, adding that it’s up to each player to state their own case to the media.
“I tip my cap to Wemby for being willing to sit up there on that platform and say, ‘This is why,’” he said. “Not hide from the question. Not just assume they’ll figure it out. No, they won’t. I’m happy he’s smart enough to know they won’t figure it out.”
According to most major sportsbooks, Wembanyama is anywhere from third to fifth to win the award, with anywhere from +2000 to +3500 MVP odds.
However, as Powell, writing for the official NBA.com, now has the French center leading the race, it could foreshadow the Spurs’ unicorn as the new frontrunner for the MVP trophy this season.
Regardless, there’s still nine more games to go in the regular season, and a lot can happen in that span.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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