Commencing February 1st, the San Antonio Spurs have triumphed in 27 out of 29 contests, thereby positioning themselves among contenders for the NBA’s top overall record.
Consequently, the extraordinary 22-year-old talent, Victor Wembanyama, has ascended to the forefront of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player debate, with an opportunity to become the initial player to secure this accolade as early as his third professional season, a feat last achieved by Derrick Rose 15 years prior.
However, will the towering 7-foot-4 center for the Spurs genuinely contend with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who stands to become the 14th player in league annals to win consecutive MVPs and the 16th to receive the honor at least twice?
Based on ESPN’s third and conclusive NBA MVP survey poll for the 2025-26 season, Wemby’s late-season surge will narrowly miss the mark.
In a survey of 100 NBA media personnel conducted from Monday through Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander currently tops our ballot with only 10 days remaining in the regular season. The 27-year-old guard’s crucial performances have enabled the reigning champions to surmount various injuries across their roster and maintain a lead over the Spurs.
And, notwithstanding Wembanyama’s recent push, Denver Nuggets’ center Nikola Jokic’s consistently extraordinary performance, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic concluding a 600-point month — the first in March since Michael Jordan in 1987 — Gilgeous-Alexander maintains a comfortable advantage. SGA secured the premier position on 88 out of 100 ballots, gathering nine second- and three third-place votes for a grand total of 958 points, a clear 300 more than Wembanyama.
Those pondering why this race isn’t more tightly contested need only consider Monday night. Wembanyama showcased a brilliant performance, achieving 41 points, three 3-pointers, 16 rebounds, and three blocks as San Antonio decisively defeated the Chicago Bulls.
A few hours later, Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 47 points in Oklahoma City’s overtime triumph against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. Following the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was queried about whether he wished to contribute to the ongoing MVP discussion.
“No, I’m content. Thank you for asking, though,” he conveyed to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Indeed, I’m fine. I allow my play to speak for itself.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who has now topped five consecutive unofficial polls since the mid-point of last season, is delivering another outstanding season. He is averaging 31.6 points on 55.3% shooting, along with 4.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals.
And he is accomplishing all of this while propelling the Thunder to the best overall record in the NBA for the second consecutive season, despite key players rotating in and out of the lineup. The most notable among this group is All-Star Jalen Williams, who has appeared in only 30 games this season following offseason wrist surgery and a hamstring strain sustained in January.
Nevertheless, Wembanyama’s claim cannot be overlooked. Nor can San Antonio’s exceptional team performance over the past several months.
Wembanyama, who did not meet the 65-game requirement for 2024-25 awards eligibility, is expected to avoid such complications this time and is accumulating extraordinary statistics himself – averaging 24.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks.
He is also quite forthright in articulating his argument for the league’s premier individual accolade.
“I’ve given it some thought,” Wembanyama informed reporters last week. “I believe at this moment, there is a discussion. There ought to be, even though I think I should be leading the contest. I’m endeavoring to ensure that by the season’s conclusion, there’s no question.”
Unless circumstances shift, however, Wembanyama might need to postpone until next year his potential to join Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the sole players to clinch both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same campaign.
Jokic, who garnered three first-place votes and was featured on 99 of 100 ballots, concluded outside the top two for the initial time since December 2022, a testament to his remarkable endurance and consistency. Yet, his historical per-game figures – 27.7 points (eighth in the NBA), 13.0 rebounds (first), and 10.8 assists (first) – have slightly decreased since the 31-year-old center returned from a bone contusion in his knee prior to the All-Star break. Denver has also fallen behind the Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
Jokic managed to surpass the fourth-place Doncic, who appeared on 96 of 100 ballots. Doncic paces the league with 33.8 points per game, complemented by 7.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.7 steals, while guiding the Lakers to a 15-2 record in March. Doncic’s prospects in the official MVP ballot suffered a setback Thursday evening, when he exited the game against OKC due to a left hamstring injury. With 64 games played, Doncic would become ineligible for MVP and All-NBA if he misses the Lakers’ final five regular season matchups. (Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who received one fifth-place vote in ESPN’s informal survey, is now out of contention after sitting out Thursday’s game due to a right knee ailment.)
It is also crucial to note that voters received directives to exclude Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham from their ballots after the collapsed lung he experienced last month likely concluded his regular season at 61 games played.
The consensus among the 100 media representatives surveyed was that Cunningham would have placed anywhere from third to fifth, likely diminishing the total votes for both Jokic and Doncic but doing little to alter the dynamic of the competition between Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama.
Bonus! What is the Status of the Rookie of the Year Contest?
Given a fiercely contested Rookie of the Year competition throughout the season, featuring a pair of former Duke housemates – Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel – we also opted to poll voters on how that contest might unfold.
And, similar to the MVP race, there is a definitive frontrunner.
It is Knueppel, the No. 4 draft pick from last June, who holds a substantial lead with 10 days remaining in the regular season, securing 80 first-place votes to Flagg’s 20.
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe, the No. 3 selection, claimed two second-place votes in addition to 94 third-place votes. San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick, had five third-place votes, and New Orleans Pelicans big man Derik Queen received the final third-place vote.
For someone to surpass the No. 1 pick Flagg, a potentially generational talent who is on track to become the fourth rookie since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 to average at least 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, joining Doncic, Jordan, and Larry Bird – it was going to require an extraordinary sequence of events.
Enter Knueppel, who has not only established the NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season but is presently leading the league in 3s with 43.1% shooting from long range.
These impressive statistics have been pivotal to Charlotte’s resurgence; the Hornets commenced the season 16-28 but have claimed victory in 24 of their last 32 games to propel themselves into the upper half of the Eastern Conference play-in bracket.
Although team success seldom influences the Rookie of the Year contest, the blend of Knueppel’s individual performance and Charlotte’s achievements – combined with Flagg’s Mavericks contending for another high draft selection – has decisively tilted the competition in Knueppel’s favor with only a handful of regular-season games remaining.