Victor Wembanyama admits it's personal going against SGA, Thunder after MVP snub: ‘I want to get that trophy’

If Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was any indication, Victor Wembanyama is out for blood against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He has plenty of reasons for extra motivation; not only is a trip to his first NBA Finals on the line, but the Spurs and Thunder also built a rivalry in the regular season that saw Wembanyama's side win four different games, some of the few OKC losses all year.

When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA's back-to-back MVP on Sunday, it gave Wembanyama yet another reason to take the matchup personally — and he showed out by dominated Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.

Here's a look at the Game 1 numbers from Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, and what the Spurs star had to say about his MVP snub.

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket

Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Game 1 stats

The final numbers for Gilgeous-Alexander were much more on-par with his stardom, masking an extremely slow start. But it's also no understatement to say that Game 1 on Monday night may have been one of his worst performances of the 2025-26 season.

Coming off the heels of his MVP announcement, Gilgeous-Alexander went for 24 points, but on 7-of-23 shooting (30.4%) from the floor. He did add 12 assists and five steals with five turnovers, but his plus-minus sat at -15, the worst on the Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed more shots in Q4/OT tonight than he did the previous two months COMBINED pic.twitter.com/7tyXQRl2iV

— Underdog (@Underdog) May 19, 2026

Wembanyama, meanwhile, put forth perhaps the most dominant performance of his career to date, considering the circumstances: in his first playoff run, he guided his team to a Game 1 win on the road of the Western Conference Finals by commanding both ends of the floor.

Not only did Wembanyama play a new career-high 49 minutes, but he was outstanding in all 49. He finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three turnovers while shooting 14-of-25 (56.0%) from the floor, with his plus-minus of +16 being the Spurs' best.

Between his total figures, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to post 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game, and his collection of clutch plays, including a stunning 3-pointer from near the logo to tie it at 108 in overtime, Wembanyama looked like the best basketball player in the world on Monday night.

— NBA Performances (@NBARewinds) May 19, 2026

MORE: Where Victor Wembanyama, SGA rank among best remaining players in NBA playoffs

Victor Wembanyama opens up about MVP snub

Wembanyama's performance came just one day after Gilgeous-Alexander officially finished first on MVP ballots, receiving 83 first-place votes, while he finished in third with five first-place votes.

Postgame, Wembanyama was asked if "any part of tonight" felt personal due to the MVP results. 

"Yeah, for sure. Everything you just said," Wembanyama said, agreeing with the notion that he took the matchup personally.

Wemby on whether Game 1 was personal after watching Shai win MVP 😤 pic.twitter.com/dTSTEuOMTo

— ESPN (@espn) May 19, 2026

A follow-up question asked Wembanyama what it felt like to see Gilgeous-Alexander get the MVP award, then go out and dominate in Game 1.

"Feels like I still got a lot to learn," Wembanyama said. "I want to get that trophy many times in my career." 

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 19, 2026

MORE: Why Victor Wembanyama's clutch 3-pointer is drawing 2016 Steph Curry comparisons