NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama has set a new standard in the NBA's annual front-office poll. The San Antonio Spurs star received 93% of the votes as the player general managers would most want to start a franchise with, the highest share in the 25-year history of the NBA GM Survey. That mark is up from 83% a year ago, and Wembanyama led eight categories overall in this year's survey.
The 22-year-old was also the clear favorite for MVP, collecting 77% of the votes to set another survey record. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was second at 10% and Minnesota's Anthony Edwards was third at 7%, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston's Jayson Tatum also received votes. Last year, 67% of GMs picked Jokic to win MVP. Wembanyama dominated the defensive ballot as well, earning 97% for both best defensive player and best interior defender, and he also topped the lists for most versatile player and the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments.
Jokic still edged Wembanyama in two direct comparisons. GMs voted Jokic the best center 63% to 37% and the best international player 53% to 47%. In the franchise-player question, Gilgeous-Alexander and Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks also received votes behind Wembanyama's record 93%.
The result extends Wembanyama's run atop the survey after he received 77% in 2024-25 and 83% in 2025-26. The previous high was LeBron James at 90% in 2013-14, with other past leaders including Shaquille O'Neal at 64% in 2002-03, Tim Duncan three times from 2003-06, Kevin Durant in 2010-11, Anthony Davis at 86% in 2015-16, Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016-17 and 2017-18, Giannis Antetokounmpo in multiple years, Luka Doncic in 2021-22, and Jokic at 33% in 2023-24.