Wemby, Spurs Dominate NBA GM Survey (Except One Category)

Half of the anonymously-polled top executives believe San Antonio will win the championship, and Victor Wembanyama earned the most votes in history for MVP and player you'd start a franchise with.

Oct 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) looks up the court in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SAN ANTONIO -- NBA general managers agree that Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are on top of the basketball world, now and in the future.

Half of the anonymously-polled top executives believe San Antonio will win the championship, one of over a dozen superlatives the Spurs or their players took home. Wembanyama nabbed eight himself, including the highest percentage of the vote ever in the 25-year history of the annual GM Survey for both Most Valuable Player and the player you'd most like to start a franchise with.

He's seen as the most versatile defender, and the most versatile player. Nearly half said he forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments, and he edged out Nikola Jokic 16 to 14 on the question of who the best international player in the league is.

The GMs can't vote for their own teams or players, making 29 the maximum number of voters possible. 23 tabbed Wemby as MVP, while 28 said he was the player they'd start a franchise with. All 29 agree that Wembanyama is the best defender and the best interior defender in the league. It's not exactly a surprise after he became the first ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.

Oct 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot in the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's also consensus that the Spurs will be a top-two team in the Western Conference, with 53% guessing they'll be the top seed and 43% settling on second behind Oklahoma City. The Thunder are seen as the biggest challengers for the title, earning 43% of the vote there.

Another area where the Spurs have overtaken the Thunder is on the question of who has the most promising young core. Last year Oklahoma City earned 50% of the vote. This year, San Antonio won with 87%.

Wembanyama is a huge part of that, but so are Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who earned the most votes for most likely breakout season this year. San Antonio also got credit for their other end of the experience spectrum as a plurality of voters named Tobias Harris the most underrated acquisition of the offseason.

The Spurs also received a number of votes on other questions. De'Aaron Fox came in second to Tyrese Maxey for fastest with the ball after taking the title last year with 53% of the vote. Castle earned two votes for best perimeter defender, someone saw Dylan Harper as most athletic, and Wemby came up for best leader. Mitch Johnson and the Spurs earned a nod on defensive schemes, and Corliss Williamson and Scott King each got a shout for best assistant coach.

Oct 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) dribbles in between Phoenix Suns forward Haywood Highsmith (19) and center Khaman Maluach (10) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With all these accolades, it's unsurprising that San Antonio is seen as the most fun team to watch by 30% of the general managers, tied with the Timberwolves for first.

Despite all the talent, none of the Spurs were named the best player at their position. Wembanyama earned 23% of the vote for best power forward behind Giannis, and 37% of the vote for best center behind Jokic. He got the fifth-most total votes for any player as the best at one of the positions, but earns no title for it.

Does it make sense that a guy who is seen as the overwhelming favorite for MVP isn't the best at his position over a guy that a majority of the GMs polled think he's a better international player than? No, not really.

It's kinda like if a Ford Raptor and a Toyota Sienna and a flying saucer were nominated for "Best Truck" and "Best Minivan" and the flying saucer lost out even though everyone agrees it's a cooler way to haul stuff and/or take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese.

Oh well, maybe Wembanyama and the Spurs will do better next year.