Victor Wembanyama Receives Award News Before NBA Playoffs
Victor Wembanyama is set to play in his first NBA playoff game on Sunday. As the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs will face the No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Game 1 of this best-of-seven series will take place on Sunday at Frost Bank Arena in San Antonio.
Wembanyama led the Spurs to a 62-20 record in the regular season. He played 64 games, averaging 25.0 points on 51.2% shooting, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and a league-best 3.1 blocks in 29.2 minutes per contest. The 7-foot-4 big man was also a legitimate threat from deep, knocking down 1.9 triples per game on a 34.9% clip.
Wembanyama received some good news three days before his postseason debut. This came in the form of another career honor for the 22-year-old.
The Professional Basketball Writers Association (PFWA) announced on Thursday that Wembanyama has been named the 2025-26 Magic Johnson Award. According to the PFWA's press release, the award "honors the NBA player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans."
The PBWA is pleased to announce that Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is the winner of the 2025-26 Magic Johnson Award.
— The PBWA (@ProHoopsWriters) April 16, 2026
Press release: https://t.co/aFgXxHkM61pic.twitter.com/4hBd9pK58B
"Victor Wembanyama thoroughly embodies the spirit of this award – as a superstar who is just as thoughtful and engaging off the court as he is dominant on the court," said PBWA president Howard Beck. "He is giving of himself, amiable and patient with reporters, and eager to discuss just about any subject – from the MVP race to social justice to the Northern Lights. As one of our members put it, Victor is ‘a deep thinker who understands the power of his words.'"
Previous winners of the esteemed award include Kevin Durant (2024-25), Steph Curry (2023-24) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2022-23).
While this is another incredible honor for Wembanyama, the two-time All-Star is awaiting some even bigger news in the NBA's end-of-season awards. The Spurs superstar is one of the frontrunners for both the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
If he wins both, Wembanyama will be only the fourth player to bag both titles in the same season. He will potentially be following in the footsteps of Antetokounmpo, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan.
Related: Spurs Announce Victor Wembanyama Injury Update Before Nuggets Game
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 4:59 PM.