ESPN Poll Backs Overwhelming Favorite to Win 2026-27 NBA MVP
An ESPN poll of NBA analysts and reporters yielded a runaway favorite to take home MVP honors this season.
ESPN experts have forecasted a dominant performance from NBA star Victor Wembanyama as the overwhelming favorite to win the 2026-27 NBA MVP award. According to a recent poll conducted by ESPN, Wembanyama received an overwhelming majority of points, garnering 102 points compared to runner-up Nikola Jokic's 31 points. Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rounded out the top four with 28 and 26 points, respectively.
ESPN sports writer Michael C. Wright explained that Wembanyama's position as the top-ranked player from the Western Conference title-winning San Antonio Spurs positions him to capture his first MVP award following a stellar 2025-26 campaign. Wright noted that Wembanyama outperformed both Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander in terms of playoff depth, leading the Spurs to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
The ESPN panel also declared Wembanyama as the clear front-runner to retain his Defensive Player of the Year crown. However, ESPN analyst Tim MacMahon raised a potential obstacle - Wembanyama must play a minimum of 65 games to qualify for these awards, and he only met that requirement last season due to his participation in the NBA Cup final, which did not count towards his season statistics.
Despite this hurdle, Wembanyama's impressive performances, averaging 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks per game, have fueled speculation that he could continue to add more accolades to his already impressive resume during the 2026-27 season. Vegas sportsbooks, in alignment with ESPN's optimism, have listed Wembanyama as a +200 favorite to win the MVP award over Gilgeous-Alexander (+350).
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