With just 10 days left of the 2025-26 regular season, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is among the leaders of the Kia NBA MVP race. However, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as the overwhelming favorite to win back-to-back MVP awards.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, who released the season’s final MVP straw poll, Wembanyama currently lags behind Gilgeous-Alexander in the race.
“According to ESPN’s third and final NBA MVP straw poll of 2025-26, Wemby’s late-season push will fall just short,” Bontemps wrote.
ESPN conducted this latest poll by 100 media members Monday through Wednesday, and Gilgeous-Alexander claimed 88 first-place votes, amassing 958 total points, a commanding 300-point lead over Wembanyama, who had just eight first-place votes.
Victor Wembanyama’s stance on MVP race
Wembanyama’s late-season surge has been remarkable.
The 22-year-old, who is averaging 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season has been key for the Spurs. who have won 16 of their last 17 games. The Frenchman has surged in the past month but still sits below the top, albeit through an informal voting process by the media.
The Frenchman, however, has made no secret of his belief that he belongs at the front of the conversation — and perhaps even ahead of it.
GettySAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – MARCH 19: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
“I have thought about it. I think right now, there is a debate. There should be, even though I think I should lead the race,” Wembanyama said recently. I’m trying to make sure that at the end of the season, there’s no debate.”
That confidence stems from a lot of things, one of which is the fact that he was taken off the conversation last year mostly because of missing chunks of games. This season has been even better with the Spurs turning into contenders overnight, which has amplified his candidacy.
Wembanyama could become just the second player since Derrick Rose in 2011 to capture MVP honors in his third season.
Gilgeous-Alexander builds an airtight case amid team success
The case for Wembanyama to win this year’s MVP is a strong one, however, Gilgeous-Alexander’s case has been such that a back-to-back MVP crown is on the cards.
The 27-year-old superstar is averaging 31.6 points per game on an efficient 55.1% shooting, along with 6.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season. The Thunder are the league’s best, having the top record in the West and the NBA in general.
That poll, while not the real deal, shows a clear separation at the top.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets placed third with three first-place votes, followed by Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers in fourth; Doncic received zero first place votes.
Neither of the two looks to be mounting a serious threat to the top two as things stand.
There are only a handful of games left, but Wembanyama has a final chance for one more push to determine who wins the Michael Jordan Trophy.
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