Wemby's Late Charge Isn't Enough: SGA Still Running Away With MVP
Victor Wembanyama is putting on an absolute show. The 22-year-old Spurs phenom has been unstoppable, and San Antonio has gone nuclear since February 1, winning 27 of their last 29 games to crash the conversation for the NBA's best record. He could become the first player to win MVP as early as his third season since Derrick Rose pulled it off 15 years ago. But here's the thing: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still running away with it.
SGA Refuses to Blink
According to ESPN's final MVP straw poll of the 2025-26 season, Gilgeous-Alexander is comfortably holding the top spot with just 10 days left in the regular season. The Thunder guard landed the number one vote on 88 out of 100 ballots, racking up 958 total points and sitting 300 points clear of Wembanyama. That's not a photo finish. That's dominance.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiThe 27-year-old has been spectacular, averaging 31.6 points on 55.3% shooting while adding 4.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals. And he's doing it while powering the Thunder to the best record in the NBA for the second straight season, even with All-Star Jalen Williams limited to just 31 games due to offseason wrist surgery and a January hamstring strain. Gilgeous-Alexander has now led five consecutive straw polls since the middle of last season. When asked after a 47-point overtime win against Detroit if he wanted to weigh in on the MVP chatter, he basically said no thanks: "I let my game do the talking."
Wemby's Monster Night Still Falls Short
Here's where it gets wild. On the same Monday night, Wembanyama went off for 41 points, 16 rebounds, three 3-pointers, and three blocks as San Antonio dominated Chicago. A couple hours later? Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 47 in that OT thriller. That's the gap right there. Both guys are playing at an elite level, but SGA's clutch moments and the Thunder's injuries-be-damned consistency have kept him firmly in front.
Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets continue their otherworldly play, and Luka Doncic is coming off a historic 600-point month, the first since Michael Jordan in 1987. But none of it is enough to dent Gilgeous-Alexander's lead. The MVP race is over. SGA's got this.
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