With the NBA regular season winding down, the race for the MVP award is just heating up. Among the MVP favorites have been Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has also made a resurgence in the race.
But according to NBA media personality Zach Lowe, the MVP award race is still Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s to lose. During a recent segment for The Ringer, Lowe explained why he thinks the reigning MVP is the favorite to win back-to-back.
“I think Shai, start to finish, this is his MVP. He also has a 400-minute advantage over Wembanyama, which it matters. . .that’s a lot. When Shai is putting up the kind of value he is on both ends of the floor, it’s not like he’s a minus defensively. . .and he’s shooting the way he’s shooting, through in the minutes, if they clinch the No. 1 seed, I think it’s his MVP,” Lowe said. “I do think Wemby has a real case. I think he’s made it to second on my ballot over Jokic. . .”
Should Gilgeous-Alexander win the 2026 MVP Award, he would be the first player since Jokic in 2020-21 and 2021-22, to win the award in consecutive seasons. Last year, he became the first player since LeBron James in 2013 to have won both MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.
He’s appeared in 60 games at a little over 33 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 31.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 55.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 88.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The Thunder are currently 57-15 and they hold a three-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference standings, as Lowe mentioned.
