Jalen Brunson is the 2026 NBA Finals MVP, a unanimous pick after New York’s 4–1 win over San Antonio. The debate that ran through the first four games — volume versus dominance versus efficiency — ended the way the series did: with Brunson closing the door, 45 points in Game 5 and a 32.6 series average no ballot could argue with.
The board when the race was still open
| Through Game 4 | Brunson | Wembanyama | Anunoby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 29.5 | 27.8 | 23.8 |
| Rebounds per game | 4.5 | 10.5 | 4.0 |
| Field goal pct. | .396 | .435 | .580 |
| Signature game | 36 pts in G4 | 32 pts in G3 | 33 pts in G4 |
Those were the numbers through four games: Brunson led in scoring, Wembanyama led in nearly everything else, and Anunoby owned the efficiency column. Volume versus dominance versus efficiency — and then Game 5 settled it.
The case each man made
Brunson’s case was narrative plus volume: 32.6 a game across the series, 36 in the Game 4 comeback and 45 in the clincher, plus stewardship of an offense that erased a 29-point deficit — the largest comeback in Finals history. The knock was the field-goal percentage, but 45 points to win a title is the closing argument voters remember.
Wembanyama opened Games 1 through 3 averaging 29.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks — the first player to start a Finals at those levels since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001. He was, for long stretches, the best player in the series. His problem was the one number that decides MVP votes: his team won once.
Anunoby was the stealth candidate: high-efficiency scoring while drawing the toughest perimeter assignment every night, plus the 33-point eruption that fueled Game 4. In another series that two-way dominance might have swung a split vote — but Brunson’s Game 5 left nothing to split.
Why the losing-team precedent never came up
Had San Antonio stormed back, history offered Wembanyama exactly one template: Jerry West in 1969, the only Finals MVP ever taken from the losing side. But the Spurs never forced a Game 6. New York closed the series in five, and with a champion on the floor the voters never had to reach for that precedent. Box scores and series stats live at NBA.com’s playoff hub.
Verdict: Brunson, unanimously
In the end it was not close. All 11 voters put Brunson first — his scoring lead, the comeback narrative and a 45-point clincher outweighing the efficiency questions in a classic volume-over-rate call. Wembanyama’s brilliance will be remembered; Brunson’s name is on the Bill Russell Trophy.
