Victor Wembanyama Is The MVP, And If You Don't Believe That, Just Ask Keldon Johnson

It was only a matter of time before an extremely skilled 7-foot-4 behemoth entered the MVP conversation. Victor Wembanyama has done just that this season, but as any conversation goes, there are always other sides to the story.

Amidst Wembanyama’s impressive stats this season (24.3 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.0 bpg), some pundits favor other top-tier talents like Nikola Jokic, Jaylen Brown, and the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the latest MVP rankings posted by NBA.com, the San Antonio Spurs center came in at second while Gilgeous-Alexander reigned atop the ladder.

Wembanyama might be quietly seething about this, but someone showed a more demonstrative reaction to all the doubters on his behalf. After the Spurs defeated the Charlotte Hornets 115-102 on Saturday, Wemby’s post-game interview with the Prime crew was gate-crashed by his teammate Keldon Johnson, who stood menacingly like an enforcer in the background till a chuckling Wemby acknowledged him.

“Is that your barber back there?” Prime’s Blake Griffin joked. Standing next to Wembanyama, Johnson proclaimed: “This is my guy right here. The best player in the world. The MVP. If anybody got anything to say, come holla at me.”

As Johnson walked away, a smiling Wembanyama said, “Shoutout to Keldon for real.”

It’s not at all surprising that players decide to fight for the cause of their teammates’ MVP campaign. As a matter of fact, the superstar that Wembanyama is chasing right now had a moment just like this back in the 2024-25 campaign.

In that scene, Gilgeous-Alexander was interviewed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters after another dominating performance. As Oklahoma City Thunder players usually do during post-game interviews, Chet Holmgren stood right next to SGA. Then, as Salters was wrapping things up, Holmgren seized the moment.

“Do you know who this is?” Holmgren rhetorically asked Salters. “The MVP.”

Gilgeous-Alexander then dapped up Holmgren in appreciation. This season, it’s Johnson hyping up Wembanyama. For the next several weeks, fans will be wondering: Who comes out on top when the MVP votes are cast? 

There’s a good chance, of course, that it will either be Gilgeous-Alexander or Wembanyama.