March 28, 2026, 7:15 p.m. CT
After it looked like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would lap the field for three-fourths of the 2025-26 regular season, in comes Victor Wembanyama. The seven-foot Titan has cast a shadow over the reigning MVP’s ambitions to win the award back-to-back years.
In just the last few days, Wembanyama has caught up to Gilgeous-Alexander. Betting odds and national podcasts have suggested that it may be closer than most anticipated just a couple of weeks ago. The San Antonio Spurs being right behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first seed is the biggest factor for that.
Guess we’ll see how the last couple of weeks play out. I feel like if the Thunder grab the first seed, Gilgeous-Alexander should win the MVP award — maybe not by the comfortable margin most thought, but for sure ends up at the top again.
With MVP being a hot-button topic, Tyrese Haliburton weighed in. He told the NBA’s Amazon Prime broadcast that he believes Gilgeous-Alexander should win the prestigious award. Of course, those two will forever be tied to the hip thanks to headlining the epic seven-game 2025 NBA Finals series.
“I see there’s been a lot of conversation about it. My vote would for sure go to Shai back-to-back,” Haliburton said. “What Wemby is doing in San Antonio, I wouldn’t want to take away from that. But I would vote for Shai. I see the campaign that’s going for him.”
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Haliburton has been out for the entire 2025-26 season. He sustained a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Playing through a calf strain, he understood the risk and still played through it — considering the all-time stakes.
Nice to hear Haliburton campaign for Gilgeous-Alexander. Considering how close things have gotten, we’ll get more NBA figures’ opinions in the coming weeks about the award. You can count the guy Gilgeous-Alexander checked on after he won the Larry O’Brien trophy to be on his side.