Victor Wembanyama should not have to plead his case to be crowned MVP on the basis of his defensive work, believes Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. 

Wembanyama is considered a candidate to win the NBA's top individual prize in his third season in the league, though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are viewed as the favourites.

Speaking after the San Antonio Spurs rolled past the Miami Heat on Monday, Wembanyama claimed he should be leading the MVP race.

When asked why, the Frenchman cited his outstanding defensive work and said awards should not be decided on offensive statistics alone. 

Green agrees, though he is angered by the fact that leading defenders have been overlooked until now.

Speaking after the Warriors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 109-106 on Wednesday, Green said: "Wemby said, 'Defense is 50% of the game,' and it was like, oh, no one realised that?

"No one realised that 50% of the game we play is on that end of the floor?

"Everybody says he has a great point... Hello? Do you think? I hated that he had to do that for it to be said [by others]. 

"All of a sudden, you turn on the TV, and everybody is like, 'Actually, maybe Wemby is the MVP.' It's an indictment on the game of basketball. 

19 PTS, 15 REB, 7 BLK for @wemby tonight  pic.twitter.com/4ygcLn7jnL

— San Antonio Spurs - x (@spurs) March 26, 2026

"Everybody wants to crush Luka Doncic when he doesn't live up to the standard of defense. But we've got this guy defending entire teams and nobody took it into account until he said defense is 50% of the game. 

"I want to give him so much credit for such a profound statement. Was it really that profound? It needed him to say that.

"With these awards, if you don't talk, people can't see. If you don't come out and speak for yourself, it doesn't work."

Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the MVP award last year, has averaged 31.5 points per game for the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

Doncic is the only player to tally more, with 33.6 points per game, while the Slovenian recently became the first player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in nine consecutive games while winning all of them.

Wembanyama had 19 points, 15 rebounds and three steals as the Spurs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 123-98 on Wednesday, in his first outing since stating his MVP case.