NBA to announce 2026 MVP ahead of Thunder-Spurs Western Conference finals

The NBA will name this season’s MVP on Sunday, the day before the Thunder and Spurs face off in the Western Conference finals opener.

MVP announcement date and time The league will unveil this season’s Most Valuable Player on Sunday evening, coinciding with the day before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The reveal is scheduled for the pregame show on Amazon Prime Video, set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The timing follows the same format used last year when the award was announced the night prior to the Western finals. The presentation will take place during the broadcast ahead of the Thunder’s home opener against San Antonio on Monday night. ## 2026 MVP finalists and candidates Three players remain in contention for the MVP award this season: Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic. Gilgeous-Alexander secured the trophy last year, while Jokic claimed it in 2024. Wembanyama is aiming to become the first French player to win the honor. Jokic is vying for his fourth MVP, a feat matched only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and LeBron James. ## History of international MVP winners Regardless of who claims the award, this will be the eighth straight season that a player born outside the United States wins MVP. The streak began in 2019 with Giannis Antetokounmpo, followed by Jokic in 2021 and 2022, Joel Embiid in 2023, Jokic again in 2024, Gilgeous-Alexander last year, and the current trio this season. Before this eight-year run, international winners included Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994, Steve Nash in 2005 and 2006, and Dirk Nowitzki in 2007. Overall, this would mark the 12th MVP award for a player from outside the U.S. ## Past MVP announcements and schedule link Last year, Gilgeous-Alexander was named MVP on May 21, with the trophy presented to him before Game 2 of the Western finals in Oklahoma City on May 22. This season, the announcement on Sunday precedes the Thunder’s hosting of Game 1 of the West finals on Monday evening. The scheduling of the reveal may suggest a preference for Gilgeous-Alexander, given the similar timing to last year’s announcement.