The Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs is bigger than just a ticket to the NBA Finals. It’s the kind of matchup the league genuinely hasn’t seen in a long time.
Gilgeous-Alexander is fresh off his second straight MVP award after piloting Oklahoma City to the best record in the league and a 2025 championship. At 27 years old, he’s right in the middle of his prime and has done about everything a player can do across an 82-game season.
The argument for him being the best player in the NBA right now is hard to knock down on paper. But Wembanyama has made that conversation a little harder to close out.
For the first time since 2009, the active NBA MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year are meeting in a playoff series beyond the second round. The last time it happened, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers ran into Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Before that, it goes back through some of the most iconic names the sport has ever produced to find anything close. The 2008 Finals had Kobe Bryant squaring off against Kevin Garnett. The 1996 Finals brought Michael Jordan up against Gary Payton. After that, Jordan again went against Dennis Rodman in 1991, Larry Bird against Sidney Moncrief in 1984 and Moses Malone against Moncrief the year before that.
Now it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against Victor Wembanyama. That’s the company this series keeps.
SGA vs. Wembanyama: The Matchup the NBA Has Been Waiting For
The Spurs’ young big man caught fire in the second half of the season and brought that same energy into the playoffs. His Defensive Player of the Year award this season wasn’t a surprise to anyone paying attention. There isn’t another player in the league doing what he does on that end of the floor and his impact goes well beyond the stat sheet.
That’s what gives this series a different feel from most Conference Finals matchups. Wembanyama’s presence around the rim is the kind of variable that can genuinely disrupt the paint and midrange efficiency that Gilgeous-Alexander has built his entire offensive game around.
That one-on-one battle running through the whole series gives it an edge that’s hard to manufacture. Both teams also bring loaded rosters to the table.
Deep rotations, young talent throughout the lineup and front offices that have built sustainably rather than chasing quick fixes. This doesn’t look like a one-time collision between two teams that got hot at the right moment.
Given where both franchises are right now, the Thunder and Spurs could realistically be meeting in series like this for the next five years with NBA Finals spots on the line every time.
Related: “Go to Brunch, You Nerd”: Blake Griffin Mocks Shams Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Leak
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
