For the majority of the 2025-26 campaign, OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been widely regarded as a shoo-in to win MVP honors, but recent movements have shaken the race up in a massive way.
All it took was Spurs center Victor Wembanyama electing to vocally campaign for himself, and the entire league has seemingly begun to reconsider whether SGA truly deserves the award.
Since then, Gilgeous-Alexander has gone from -1000 odds to win MVP to -275 over the span of a week. Statistically, nothing has changed for either player during that time.
The only change has been the dramatic shift in perspective caused by Wemby's self-advocacy.
This movement puts the league in a precarious position, as SGA could realistically lose out on winning his second straight MVP title, all because a player is actively shouting out their accomplishments.
In many ways, such a scenario could pave the way for a new brand of award that no fan wants to see.
NBA fans better pray Thunder superstar wins what's rightfully his
That movement may have already started, unfortunately, as Wemby's Spurs teammate, Keldon Johnson, went on record to make his case for the Sixth Man of the Year award. He was asked during a recent appearance on NBA on Prime to state his case, to which he responded, "How can you not say I'm the Sixth Man of the Year?"
The recent award advocacy is being spearheaded by members of the San Antonio Spurs.
Coach Mitch Johnson's team is young and exciting, and they have taken up their fair share of headlines this season.
Dating back to their December domination of the Thunder, they have established themselves as the "trendy" underdog who may be destined to dethrone the champs. If their begging gets rewarded with numerous awards at year's end, the league could head down a path that no one wants to see.
A Wemby MVP win could send the NBA down a bad path
The league is already in a dicey position in the sports world. On Friday, The Athletic published an article comparing the NBA and MLB as the two sports competing for attention behind football. It cited play style, lack of defense, and recent sports gambling scandals as reasons the league is losing favor with its fans.
On top of these current messes, the addition of the NBA's coveted MVP trophy turning into the "most popular" award in a yearbook could prove too much for fans to handle.
While some voters have already voiced their endorsement of Wembanyama, the rest should think long and hard about what they wish to see their league turn into. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the same player he was last week, yet he is quickly falling out of favor with NBA pundits.
The remaining few weeks of the season come with major potential implications, and time will tell what fate the NBA chooses for itself.