This year's NBA MVP race is one of the closest that we've had in a while. There are at least six different players you could make a case for this season, and yet two names still stick out as we enter the final two weeks of the regular season: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.
Once again, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been enduring a magical season and are on the verge of locking up the best record in the NBA entering the playoffs.
The defending champions have a two-peat on their minds, and Gilgeous-Alexander has built off his MVP success from a season ago. This will be his fourth straight season averaging 30-plus points, and he recently passed Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive 20-point games, a record he continues to add to every game.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been the presumed MVP favorite in the eyes of many since the All-Star break, but here comes Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, who always seem to come up in conversation with the Thunder this year.
After a brief injury scare and missing games, Wemby is on track to qualify for end-of-season honors and remain in good standing with the league's 65-game minimum rule. And since the All-Star break, the Spurs' young superstar has been arguably the best player in the NBA.
San Antonio has won 24 of its last 26 games and is right behind SGA's Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference. During this span, Wembanyama has averaged 24.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor.
He has also recorded 17 double-doubles during this span.
As crazy as it may sound, this year's MVP race may very well come down to which team finishes with a better record since so little separates Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama.
On one hand, Gilgeous-Alexander is clearly the better offensive player this season and has made some incredible clutch shots in some of the best games this year. Then you have Wembanyama, who is the most dominant two-way talent in the league and has contributed the most to his team this season when it comes to advanced metrics and projected win totals when on the court.
There is really no going wrong with how the MVP rankings shape up this year, which is why every game down the stretch matters for Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, and the other NBA stars on this list.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 22 | Week 21 | Week 20 | Week 19 | Week 18 | Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder*
Previous ranking: #1
2025-26 season stats: 63 games, 31.4 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 55.1 FG%, 37.9 3P%
*Can only miss a maximum of 5 more games to remain eligible.
Not only is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 31.4 points per game, but he is doing so while shooting over 55 percent from the floor and almost 40 percent from 3-point range. These are ridiculous efficiency numbers for the reigning league MVP, and despite all of the Thunder's injury troubles this season, he's been able to keep his team at the top of the NBA.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in 42 of his 63 games this season, and he's reached this mark in under 30 minutes 11 different times this season.
As of late, SGA has averaged 30.0 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor over his last five games. The Thunder have won 17 of their last 19 games and are a league-best 59-16 overall with seven games remaining on their schedule.
2. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs*
Previous ranking: #2
2025-26 season stats: 59 games, 24.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.1 blocks, 50.1 FG%, 34.8 3P%
*Can only miss a maximum of 3 more games to remain eligible.
Not only will Wembanyama win the Defensive Player of the Year award this season, but he has put together a very compelling argument as to why he should win the MVP award over anyone else.
“Defense is 50 percent of the game and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race,” Wembanyama said recently regarding his criteria for MVP. “I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season and we dominated them three times with their real team and four times with the, you know, more rotation players. My third argument would be that offense impact is not just points.”
No matter how you look at it, Wemby brings up three very valid points regarding MVP, all of which point and lean in his direction. Wembanyama is the league's best defender, the Spurs beat the Thunder four out of five times this year, and the young star's offensive impact is more than just scoring.
Out of all the players in the league, Wembanyama's gravitational pull is arguably the largest, and according to Cleaning The Glass, the Spurs are viewed as a 73-win team with him contributing to an incredible +31 in expected wins. That is a pretty valuable statistic for a very valuable player in San Antonio.
3. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets*
Previous ranking: #4
2025-26 season stats: 60 games, 27.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 57.3 FG%, 38.8 3P%
*Can only miss a maximum of 1 more game to remain eligible.
Despite all the success we've seen in recent weeks from Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama, we still can't write off Nikola Jokic quite yet in the MVP race, especially after four straight triple-doubles and nearly his fifth straight against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
Over his last five games, Jokic has averaged 25.2 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 14.0 assists per game while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. If he keeps putting up these types of numbers to close out the season, Jokic will continue raising eyebrows around the league among MVP voters.
4. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers*
Previous ranking: #3
2025-26 season stats: 62 games, 33.7 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 47.6 FG%, 36.6 3P%
*Can only miss a maximum of 5 more games to remain eligible.
Although he will be suspended one game on Monday night for receiving his 16th technical foul of the season, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been sensational in March.
In 15 games this month, Doncic has averaged 37.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor on about 36 shot attempts per game. These are absurd numbers for Luka, which is why he has regained a lot of relevance in the MVP race.
While many tend to point to Doncic's defense being a liability, he and the Lakers have improved drastically on this end over the last few weeks. Doncic is not only looking quicker and more engaged defensively, but the numbers reflect such, as he's averaging 2.3 steals per game this month.
5. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics
Previous ranking: #5
2025-26 season stats: 65 games, 28.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 47.7 FG%, 34.2 3P%
In one of the most anticipated games post-All-Star break this season, Jaylen Brown had 31 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists en route to a 119-109 win over SGA and the Thunder. Once again, Brown delivered on the biggest stage for his team, adding to what has been a historic year for the Boston Celtics' wing.
Brown ranks top five in scoring, third in total points, and third in 30-point games this season behind only Luka (43) and Shai (42).
This was supposed to be a lost season for the Celtics since Jayson Tatum was recovering from his Achilles injury, yet they just crossed the 50-win plateau thanks to Brown's contributions and leadership.
Although Tatum may be the one getting all the attention now that he is back on the court and playing at a high level, Brown has been the leader of the Celtics all season, and he's the reason why they could be heading back to the NBA Finals.
Just missing the cut
6. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons [Ranked No. 4 last week]*
7. Jalen Johnson – Atlanta Hawks [Ranked No. 10 last week]
8. Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers [Ranked No. 9 last week]
9. Kevin Durant – Houston Rockets [Ranked No. 8 last week]
10. Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks [Unranked last week]
*Signals player is in danger of meeting 65-game minimum threshold for awards/accolades.
