Victor Wembanyama Says He Needs to 'Press the Gas' to Win NBA MVP, Updated Odds for Award

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama feels he needs to "press the gas" down the stretch of the season in order to become the youngest MVP in NBA history.

"I know I'm in the MVP conversations. Of course it's one of my goals," Wembanyama told reporters Friday. "And I think that the main argument is that is the team's success, that's always the first thing.

"I'm also conscious that I need to press the gas a little bit on the last games of the season, last part of the season, to win that award."

Wembanyama is currently deadlocked with the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo for the fourth-best consensus MVP odds, according to Action Network.

Winning the award would allow Wembanyama, who turned 22 years old in January, to beat out Derrick Rose as the youngest MVP in league history.

Here's a look at the award odds heading into Friday.

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2025-26 NBA MVP Odds

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: +150

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets: +350

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers: +380

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: +1200

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: +1200

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Wembanyama is averaging 23.7 points and 11.2 rebounds, while adding a steal and an NBA-high 2.8 blocks per game through his first 45 appearances of the season.

He's shooting a career-best 50.1 percent from the field while sinking 34.7 percent of his shots from deep.

Perhaps most importantly for his MVP candidacy, Wembanyama has helped Spurs mark an NBA-best 11-0 record during the month of February.

That surge has allowed the Spurs to climb all the way up to No. 2 in the Western Conference, just 1.5 games back of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The biggest argument against Wembanyama's case for MVP could be the other players who have stepped up for the Spurs over this stretch.

Stephon Castle has led the team in scoring on multiple sub-20 point outings for Wembanyama in the last month. On Thursday, when Wembanyama was held to just 12 points against the Brooklyn Nets, Julian Champagnie posted 26.

Wembanyama may need to increase his consistency in order to beat out players shouldering a larger percentage of their team's workload. Among those players is the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Dončić, who currently leads the NBA in both 32.7 points per game and a 36.5 percent usage rate.

The Spurs' push for the top seed in the West, and Wembanyama's campaign for MVP, will continue Sunday at Madison Square Garden with a road game against the New York Knicks.