Victor Wembanyama was caught on camera mouthing words after the San Antonio Spurs won Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the MVP award from Adam Silver ahead of Game 1. The two-time MVP beat out Nikola Jokic and Wembanyama for the award, with them finishing second and third, respectively.
After the Spurs defeated the Thunder on Monday, Wembanyama was seen mouthing the words:
“I’m number 1 … I told you.”
His gesture came after a dominant performance in Game 1. Wembanyama finished with a game-high 41 points and 24 rebounds while also adding three assists and three blocks, shooting 14-for-25.
Speaking in March, Wembanyama made it clear that he finds himself deserving of the 2025-26 MVP award.
“My first one would be that defense is 50 percent of the game and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race,” Wembanyama said. “I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season and we dominated them three times with their real team and four times with the, you know, more rotation players. My third argument would be that offense impact is not just points.”
Wembanyama has been productive against the Thunder throughout the season, averaging 18.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in five regular-season games.
While he did not win MVP, Wembanyama did not end the season without any hardware, becoming the first-ever unanimous winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award.
While Wembanyama dominated Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander had a tough time. He finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 7-for-23, including 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Alex Caruso led the scoring for the Thunder, finishing with 31 points, shooting 11-for-19, including 8-for-14 from long range.
The San Antonio Spurs say Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP win gave extra motivation to Victor Wembanyama
Speaking after their Game 1 win, multiple members of the San Antonio Spurs agreed when asked if Victor Wembanyama had extra motivation for the matchup in light of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP win.
“We felt like that was his trophy,” Castle said. “I’m sure he felt the same way.”
Spurs coach Mitchell Johnson also addressed the subject.
“One-hundred percent,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “To see another competitor with the trophy that he deserves — (SGA was) voted the winner. But if you’re a competitor and you see another competitor get rewarded with what you want — I don’t think it had any effect on the game that didn’t make him play harder than anyone else — but that’s motivational.”
Wembanyama also answered if Gilgeous-Alexander winning the award served as motivation:
“Yeah, for sure.”
Wembanyama is averaging 22.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in 11 playoff games this season. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Spurs will return to Paycom Center on Wednesday for Game 2. San Antonio now holds homecourt advantage against the Thunder in a series that may very well go down to the wire.
Read More: Victor Wembanyama Admits True Feelings on Watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Ceremony Night
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