As the 2026 season continues to elevate new stars, former NBA star has stepped forward to crown the next Michael Jordan.

Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes, in his conversation with Kevin Garnett, opined that he sees Victor Wembanyama winning both the MVP and DPOY award this year, just like Michael Jordan did in 1988.

“One person I want to point out, and I don't know. Obviously, he's in the conversation, but it's Wemby at 24 and 11, but also the defensive impact," said Barnes.

“You can talk about SGA, you could talk about Luka, incredible, but they don't have the defensive impact. I think Wemby will be the next guy that did what Jordan did in, what, '88 or '89?…Defensive Player of the Year and MVP.”

In 65 games this season, the Frenchman is putting up absurd numbers; he is averaging 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.1 blocks while shooting over 51%. Yes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic have significantly better offensive numbers, but when it comes to defensive presence, Victor is much further ahead.

Against the lowly Dallas Mavericks on April 11, Wembanyama scored 40 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and blocked 2 shots, aiding his team to a 139-120 victory.

According to Barnes, his back-to-back all-around performance makes him the proper candidate to win both awards.

As of April 2026, Victor is in the top four when it comes to KIA MVP rankings and is the clear favorite for the DPOY award. Let’s say he wins both; he would become the second player, other than Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2019-20 season, to win both awards simultaneously since the turn of the century.

With that said, Victor has raised some questions about the controversial compulsory 65-game rule.

Victor Wembanyama sounds off on the NBA’s 65-Game Rule

The 65-game rule has been controversial since its introduction in the 2023–24 season. Addressing the issue, the Spurs star admitted that if he had already reached the threshold, he wouldn’t have returned to face the Mavericks.

“If I had 65 [games] before, I for sure wouldn’t have played,” Wemby told the media. “If a guy plays 50 games, 35 minutes a game, that’s 50 times 35 — that’s 1,750, right? Am I right?” the 22-year-old asked the media.

“If a guy plays 75 games at 20 minutes, it’s 1,500. So it’s a good view, in my opinion, to not have a limit. It’s one opinion. Seventy-five percent of the games, in my opinion, would be a logical thing, and that would be 61.5 games, right? So, 62 games.”

Given that, what are your thoughts on Victor Wembanyama’s statement?

Read more at the Air Jordan Chronicles!

Written by

Suryakant Das