Victor Wembanyama fielded a press conference question with the exact precision he displays on the court. The San Antonio Spurs center, currently vying for the NBA MVP award, turned into a math whiz when asked about his take on the NBA’s 65-game threshold for postseason awards.
Victor Wembanyama Gets Candid About NBA’s 65-Game Threshold and Shows Off Mental-Math Skills
This MVP race is unique since it’s generating a ton of attention because of the significant names absent from consideration. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is ineligible for awards despite helping his team lock down the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić remains stranded at 64 games due to a hamstring injury as his team prepares for the postseason.
In light of the recent heated discussions about big names missing out on MVP contention despite impressive seasons, Wembanyama was asked for his take on the league’s 65-game threshold for eligibility.
“So Cade is ineligible for sure? … It’s a very interesting question. … In my opinion, it’s good to have a threshold. Where do we need to put it? I don’t know. That’s a good question,” Wembanyama said. “Let me ask ya’ll a question: What percentage of the season do you [guys] think should be the limit?”
This has everything from Wemby surveying the media for their opinion on the 65-game rule to him doing math on the fly. https://t.co/rsTwClMvRB pic.twitter.com/Ruj1WaRedY
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) April 11, 2026
With most reporters suggesting that players must play in 70-75% of games, Wembanyama immediately did the math.
“If a guy plays 50 games, 35 minutes per game, that is 1750, right? If a guy plays 75 games at 20 minutes, it’s 1500, so… It’s a good view in my opinion, to not have a limit; it’s one opinion… 75% of the games would be a logical thing. That would be 61.5 games, right? So 62 games.”
The quick and accurate math prompted one of the reporters to remark, “By the way, your math on all those was spot on.” Wembanyama earned praise online for his mental math as well, with PFSN’s Alex Kennedy jokingly labeling him a “human calculator.”
Victor Wembanyama showed off some impressive mental-math skills. He’s a human calculator (via @JaredWeissNBA): pic.twitter.com/zlfBKDyZsH
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) April 11, 2026
“There’s some interesting questions. But I don’t think there’s gonna be an exception made for this year, that would be somewhat unfair,” Wembanyama concluded.
The 65-game rule continues to draw heat from the NBA community, and there’s a good chance that the league will reevaluate the rule this offseason.
While Wembanyama’s production positions him as a primary MVP candidate, the Spurs (62-19) must manage their two-time All-Star’s minutes (especially coming off of his recent rib injury) as San Antonio will only go as far as Wemby takes them.
