According to ESPN, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the 2026 NBA Most Valuable Player, becoming a back-to-back winner while helping Oklahoma City to a 64-win season and the No. 1 seed.
The report lists the three MVP finalists and their regular-season lines: Gilgeous-Alexander, a point guard for Oklahoma City, played 68 games and averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game; Nikola Jokic, the Denver center, appeared in 65 games and averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists; Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs played 64 games and averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Per the report, Jokic remained a dominant force, noted as a three-time league MVP who led the NBA in both assists (10.7) and rebounds (12.9) per game and averaged a triple-double for a second consecutive season. The report also cites Jokic’s heavy minutes as part of the evaluation, listing 2,265 minutes played compared with Wembanyama’s 1,866.
The report highlights Wembanyama’s defensive impact, saying he became the youngest and first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and helped return San Antonio to the postseason for the first time since 2019. It also notes Wembanyama was the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to average 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and that the Spurs outscored opponents by 17 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.
Tim Bontemps’ ballot is discussed in the report, with Gilgeous-Alexander atop his picks and the broader ESPN MVP straw poll showing SGA on 88 of 100 ballots. The straw poll tallied 958 points for Gilgeous-Alexander, 300 clear of Wembanyama in that sampling, and the report says the league’s ruling narrowed the final choices as voters weighed individual performance, team success and availability when casting their ballots.
