NBA Most Valuable Player Award
Event in Basketball
NBA Most Valuable Player Award has come up in 4 episodes across 2 podcasts in TMT, including The Bill Simmons Podcast, Pardon My Take. 5 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Bill SimmonsSportswriter and founder of The Ringer, host of The Bill Simmons Podcast
Simmons noted Wembanyama is leading the league in blocks and rebounds while ranking fifth in points, a combination he says only Wilt Chamberlain approached.
“Mae'n arwain y Lleg a chynnyddion, mae'n gwneud rhywbeth y mae dim ond Will Chamberlain wedi'i wneud”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: The 2026 Made-Up NBA Awards With Zach Lowe (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:58:06
Simmons said he has Jokić second on his MVP ballot heading into the final week of the season.
“dyna pam dwi'n meddwl dwi'n cael Joker yn ail ar gyfer MVP yn ymlaen i'r wythnos diwethaf”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: The 2026 Made-Up NBA Awards With Zach Lowe (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:59:04
Simmons said no player has won MVP while averaging about 29 minutes a game, making Wembanyama's case historically unprecedented.
“Nid oes unrhyw bwysigrwydd ar gyfer rhywun sy'n chwarae 29 munudau ar gyfer gêm, chwarae tua 67 neu 68 gêm a chyflawni MVP. A dyna lle byddwn ni gyda Wemby”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: UConn’s Miracle, Weirdest NBA Season Ever, A Scary Playoff Team Draft, and an Iffy Expansion Plan With Zach Lowe (Mar 30, 2026) · Listen from 6:47
Kirk GoldsberryBasketball analytics writer and visual analyst, contributor to The Ringer
Goldsberry said Gilgeous-Alexander's mid-range and three-level scoring make him the best guard of his generation, though he dislikes the foul baiting.
“his ability to score at all three levels as a guard is the best in class by far of his generation at the rim, in the mid-range, and beyond the arc”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: NBA Hot Takes, OKC’s Red Flag, and Giannis vs. Father Time With Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House (Mar 26, 2026) · Listen from 58:50
Goldsberry argued Victor Wembanyama is the most impactful player in the NBA and therefore the MVP.
“This is the most impactful player in the NBA right now is Victor Wemby Yama”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: NBA Hot Takes, OKC’s Red Flag, and Giannis vs. Father Time With Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House (Mar 26, 2026) · Listen from 45:42
PFT CommenterBarstool Sports writer and co-host of Pardon My Take
- Can’t be judged
PFT Commenter says the show should back Victor Wembanyama for MVP and notes he has met the games-played threshold.
“Also, I think we should become a pro-Wimby for MVP podcast”
Pardon My Take: UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley, April Fools Has Everyone On Alert, NFL League Meetings, Hot Seat/Cool Throne And Guys On Chicks (Apr 1, 2026) · Listen from 48:29
Zach LoweRinger NBA analyst referenced repeatedly
Lowe argued Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should win MVP and that tiebreaker-based reasoning for Wembanyama is silly.
“I just think this SGA, this is ridiculous. SGA should be the MVP. He proved it again today”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: UConn’s Miracle, Weirdest NBA Season Ever, A Scary Playoff Team Draft, and an Iffy Expansion Plan With Zach Lowe (Mar 30, 2026) · Listen from 5:06
Joe HouseRinger podcaster and longtime friend of Bill Simmons, known for sports betting talk
House said he would still vote Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP even if San Antonio took the one seed.
“But the answer to me is no, still. It's still SGA to me”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: NBA Hot Takes, OKC’s Red Flag, and Giannis vs. Father Time With Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House (Mar 26, 2026) · Listen from 45:21
Predictions
- Can’t be judgedPFT Commenter
PFT Commenter says the show should back Victor Wembanyama for MVP and notes he has met the games-played threshold.
“Also, I think we should become a pro-Wimby for MVP podcast”
Pardon My Take: UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley, April Fools Has Everyone On Alert, NFL League Meetings, Hot Seat/Cool Throne And Guys On Chicks (Apr 1, 2026) · Listen from 48:29 · NBA Most Valuable Player Award
PFT Commenter said the show should back Wembanyama for MVP; he didn't forecast an outcome, so there's nothing to verify. For context, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2026 MVP with 83 first-place votes, with Nikola Jokic second and Wembanyama third. Wembanyama was a finalist, which confirms he met the games-played requirement.
Sources: Who Is the 2026 NBA MVP? All About the Winner, How It's Chosen · 2026 NBA MVP finalists: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wemby - ESPN · 2025-26 NBA Awards: Finalists and winners for league accolades
Checked Oct 6, 2026
Coverage over time
Podcasts
- The Bill Simmons Podcast · 3 episodes
- Pardon My Take · 1 episode
Episodes
The 2026 Made-Up NBA Awards With Zach LoweThe Bill Simmons Podcast · Apr 6, 2026 · 2 h 5 min
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe react to a Nuggets-Spurs overtime thriller, the Lakers' injuries, and hand out their 2026 made-up NBA awards.
UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley, April Fools Has Everyone On Alert, NFL League Meetings, Hot Seat/Cool Throne And Guys On ChicksPardon My Take · Apr 1, 2026 · 2 h 24 min
Big Cat and PFT Commenter reverse-prank Jerry O'Connell for April Fools', discuss NFL owners meetings and the NBA, and interview UConn coach Dan Hurley.
- UConn’s Miracle, Weirdest NBA Season Ever, A Scary Playoff Team Draft, and an Iffy Expansion Plan With Zach Lowe
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Mar 30, 2026 · 1 h 45 min
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe react to UConn's buzzer beater over Duke, draft the scariest NBA playoff teams, and question the league's expansion plan.
- NBA Hot Takes, OKC’s Red Flag, and Giannis vs. Father Time With Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Mar 26, 2026 · 1 h 36 min
Bill Simmons, Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House debate OKC's vulnerabilities, All-NBA cases, Houston's bad vibes and whether any team should trade for Giannis.