Victor Wembanyama secures DPOY award as SGA wins second straight NBA MVP originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NBA regular-season awards are completely locked in. Big names took home major trophies after months of heavy rocking on the hardwood.
San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama completely locked down the paint this year. The 22-year-old center swatted 3.1 shots per contest. He pulled down 11.5 rebounds and dropped 25.0 points nightly.
That crazy defensive dominance secured him the Defensive Player of the Year trophy. San Antonio also got a big lift from bench spark Keldon Johnson. He walked away with the Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Down in Dallas, rookie sensation Cooper Flagg proved he is the real deal. The young Maverick snagged the Rookie of the Year trophy easily. Meanwhile, Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker leveled up his game. He took home the Most Improved Player award.
The heavy hardware conversation focused on two stellar global superstars. Denver center Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pushed the race to the absolute limit. Gilgeous-Alexander cooked defenders all year for 31.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. He became the first guard in NBA history to average 30+ points while shooting 55.3% from the field.
The media voting points finally settled the massive debate. Shams Charania of ESPN broke the news that Gilgeous-Alexander is the official 2026 NBA Most Valuable Player. He is the 14th player ever to win back-to-back MVPs. The Thunder superstar guard also secured the Clutch Player of the Year trophy.
"Wemby my MVP! But congrats Shai what you doing is incredible," Dwight Howard posted on X following the breakout of the news like many with a clear choice for the 22-year-old French phenom.
Meanwhile, the 27-year-old star stays humble despite reaching legendary status. “I just work hard, keep my head down and be true to who I am,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about his journey. The elite guard now moves to the Western Conference Finals.
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