Spurs Coach Gets Honest About Victor Wembanyama, SGA NBA MVP Debate

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became just the 14th player in NBA history to win the MVP award in back-to-back seasons.

He won the award by taking 83 of a possible 100 first place votes with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić coming in second and San Antonio Spurs star Victory Wembanyama in third place. Not long after losing the MVP award, Wembanyama put together a historic performance against Oklahoma City in the first game of the Western Conference Finals.

The 22-year-old became the youngest player in NBA history with at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game.

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After the game, he was asked if he received any motivation for the series by watching SGA win the MVP award.

“Yeah, for sure,” Wembanyama said, “everything you just said.”

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson agrees.

“He’s competitive,” Johnson said. “To see the other competitor [with] the trophy he deserves voted the winner, if you’re a competitor and you see another competitor get rewarded with what you want, that’s motivation. We all get motivated by different things, and I don’t want to speak for him. But as a competitive person, that would be my approach and perspective.”

Wembanyama finished the game with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 9:26 AM.