Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs booked a ticket to the NBA Finals after defeating the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a Western Conference Finals series that went the distance.
In Game 7 of the West Finals, Wembanyama recorded 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block to lead the Spurs to a 111-103 victory and a 4-3 series win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 35 points, four rebounds, nine assists and three steals for the Thunder, but he didn't get much help. No other OKC player scored more than 20 points, with Cason Wallace being the team's next best scorer with 17 points.
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After the Thunder's loss, former NBA superstar Dwight Howard couldn't help but bring up the MVP conversation. To recap, Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2025-26 MVP award after accumulating 939 total points from the voters.
Wembanyama, for his part, finished third in the voting with 569 total points.
For Howard, however, Wembanyama proved in the West Finals that he's more deserving of the award.
"Safe to say Wemby should've won MVP," Howard wrote.
Wembanyama did outshine Gilgeous-Alexander in their playoff showdown, eventually winning the conference finals MVP honor. That being said, it certainly warrants a conversation about whether he was overlooked for the regular-season MVP award.
To be fair to SGA, the Thunder finished with a 64-18 record. Gilgeous-Alexander was at the center of that successful run, averaging 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
At just 22 years old, though, Wembanyama should have plenty of opportunities to contend for the MVP. For now, his focus is certainly on bringing the Larry O'Brien Trophy back to San Antonio.
