San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama took it all in as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy.
Gilgeous-Alexander received the award before Game 1 of the Oklahoma City Thunder's Western Conference Finals showdown with the Spurs on Monday. Wembanyama had been a frontrunner in the MVP race after a stellar third year. He finished third in the voting behind the Thunder guard and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
A video of Wembanyama sitting on the bench during Gilgeous-Alexander's trophy presentation is currently circulating on social media. In it, Wembanyama looked locked in as his rival lifted the MVP trophy. Teammate Stephon Castle sat beside him and offered a few words.
Wembanyama has never needed extra motivation. That moment poured gasoline on a fire already burning.
He went berserk in Game 1. The Spurs defeated the Thunder 122-115 in double overtime to grab a 1-0 series lead. Wembanyama delivered several clutch plays down the stretch, including a three-pointer from the logo that forced a second overtime.
The Frenchman stuffed the stat sheet with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He shot 14-of-25 from the field in 49 minutes. Wembanyama outplayed two-time MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 24 points and 12 assists on 7-of-23 shooting.
After the game, Wembanyama did not hide his desire to win multiple MVP awards before his career is over.
"Feels like I still got a lot to learn... I want to get that trophy many times in my career," he told reporters.
Wembanyama heads to Paycom Center on Wednesday for Game 2 locked in and ready for more.
