Full Breakdown
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs dominate NBA GM survey predictions
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: General managers name Wembanyama MVP and Spurs championship favorite
The NBA’s annual general-managers survey, released Thursday, placed 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama as the overwhelming favorite for the 2026-27 Most Valuable Player award, with 77 % of the votes. The same poll gave him a unanimous 97 % endorsement as Defensive Player of the Year. In the team category, the San Antonio Spurs received 50 % of the ballots to be the 2027 NBA champion, narrowly ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder (43 %). The survey reflects the consensus of all 30 NBA general managers, who could not vote for their own franchise.
Background & Context: Survey design and prior expectations
NBA.com and senior analyst John Schuhmann compiled the questionnaire, which has been conducted for 25 years. Each general manager answered 48 questions covering players, teams and recent transactions. Because clubs cannot vote for themselves, the maximum attainable vote total for any player or team was 29. The poll follows a season in which the Spurs posted 62 regular-season wins and reached the NBA Finals, losing to the New York Knicks.
Data & Statistics: Vote breakdowns
- MVP – Wembanyama: 77 % (23 of 29 possible votes); Nikola Jokic: 10 %; Anthony Edwards: 7 %.
- Defensive Player of the Year – Wembanyama: 97 % (swept all 29 possible votes).
- Forces most adjustments – Wembanyama: 47 %; Jokic: 33 %; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 7 %.
- Best overall offseason moves – Philadelphia 76ers: 73 %.
- Impactful acquisition – Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami): 53 %.
Other honors included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as best point guard (67 %) and Luka Doncic edging Jayson Tatum for best small forward (37 % vs. 33 %).
Official Statements & Responses
Victor Wembanyama articulated the team’s internal goals in a preseason interview:
> “We have some goals between us that we're going to keep between us as teammates. We won the West last year. We don't want to do anything less this year. We want to be the first seed, and then we want to keep fighting for this top spot.”
The quote underscores the Spurs’ ambition to secure the Western Conference’s top seed.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Both representations stem from the same survey, yet the slight discrepancy illustrates how raw vote counts and percentages can be reported differently. No source provides the exact number of total ballots cast for team-championship voting beyond the 50 %–43 % split, leaving the remaining 7 % unaccounted for.
What’s Next: Early-season outlook
The Spurs open the 2026-27 regular season in mid-October at home against the Phoenix Suns. Health updates indicate that Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell are expected to be active, while De’Aaron Fox (hip) and forward Carter Bryant (knee) remain questionable. Rotation decisions—particularly the potential use of a three-guard starting lineup—will shape how the team manages Wembanyama’s minutes under the league’s 65-game rule.
