The NBA is scheduled to announce the winner of the 2025-26 Most Valuable Player award at 6:30 PM CT tonight, May 17. But ESPN’s Shams Charania got the scoop early and just revealed that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won. As these playoffs have shown everyone, he shouldn’t have, and that’s a problem for OKC. Victor Wembanyama didn’t just want it. He believed he deserved it, and he’s right.
The Alien will soon be forced to be in the building as they present Oklahoma City’s star guard with the trophy before Game 1 tips off. Talk about motivation. We know what happens when Wemby feels slighted or when he’s given additional motivation. Just ask the Timberwolves.
Wembanyama is the most impactful player in the NBA
There’s nobody in the league who can do what the 7’4″ Frenchman can. He’s only played in eight playoff games from start to finish, and already put forth performances with 12 blocks, another with 39 points, and several 15-plus rebound nights. His presence looms large on both ends of the floor, and it’s why the Spurs grossly exceeded expectations. They were projected as a lottery team.
When you watch him play enough, you realize there’s no player more powerful than this. Not a single athlete employed by one of the other 29 teams has the capability to dictate actions on the floor with even similar regularity. There’s nothing like it. So, we can talk about the numbers, but there must always be more. Context matters.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31 points and 7 assists on 55% FG. Those are some of the best numbers a guard has ever put up in a season. The efficiency is through the roof. However, there has never been a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner, and although this was not announced until after the votes were submitted, a toddler could have predicted it.
Wembanyama put up 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. He warps the floor on offense, whether or not the ball is in his hands, in an “only Steph Curry has had this gravity” kind of way. It completely opens the floor up for the Slash Bros to wreak havoc in the paint, while simultaneously providing space to shooters.
Oh, and did I mention the defense? Did I mention the Spurs weren’t supposed to be this good?
Overall value shouldn’t strictly be tied to how many points you scored. If that were the case, it would be called the Offensive Player of the Year award. The playoffs have allowed Wemby to demonstrate what impact truly is as he’s redefining it in real time. Only he’s been doing it all season, and too many voters just missed it. Someone will pay for that.
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