After leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 136-111 win over the Miami Heat on Monday, 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama addressed where he stands in the MVP race-in his eyes, at least.
Wembanyama surely didn't avoid the MVP conversation as the regular season winds down with the Spurs boasting a 54-18 record and sitting second in the Western Conference standings.
While acknowledging there is still competition for the award, Wembanyama said his focus is on removing any doubt before the season ends.
"I have thought about (the MVP race)," Wembanyama said. "I think right now, there is a debate. There should be, even though I think I should lead the race. I'm trying to make sure that at the end of the season, there's no debate."
In an interview with The Athletic's Jared Weiss, Wembanyama laid out a three-part case on why he deserves the MVP for the 2025-26 season, starting with what he believes is missing from most discussions about the award.
"My first one would be that defense is 50 percent of the game and that it is undervalued so far in the MVP race," Wembanyama said. "I believe I'm the most impactful player defensively in the league."
Wembanyama followed that up by pointing to San Antonio's success against their no. 1 rival, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season, and we dominated them three times with their real team," Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama's final point shifted toward offense, with the big man reasoning that not everything should be geared toward scoring points.
"My third argument would be that offense impact is not just points."
Wembanyama is averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while the Spurs have won 22 of their last 24 games and trail the Thunder by three games in the standings.
The Spurs will return to action on Tuesday when they play the Memphis Grizzlies on the road with tip-off set for 8 p.m. ET.
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