Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander head-to-head history: Inside results between Spurs, Thunder stars

Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander head-to-head history: Inside results between Spurs, Thunder stars originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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As the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry inch closer to the end of their careers, there has been plenty of debate over which NBA stars will step up as the next “faces of the league.” Two of the leading candidates, however, have already been developing an intense rivalry.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be five years older than Victor Wembanyama, also with a far more impressive resume as a two-time MVP and one-time Finals MVP,  but their basketball fates have become more intertwined over the last two seasons as the Spurs center has emerged as a superstar.

From Wembanyama’s digs at Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder over “ethical basketball,” to the many battles at the rim between an all-time shot blocker and a relentless finisher, the two Western Conference stars may own the best individual head-to-head rivalry in basketball right now — and that will only continue in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.

Here’s a look at the head-to-head history between Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander.

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Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander head-to-head record

• Wembanyama 4, Gilgeous-Alexander 4 

Wembanyama’s rookie season in the NBA came in 2023-24, which was Gilgeous-Alexander’s sixth in the league and fifth with the Thunder. So, this is still a considerably young star rivalry — Gilgeous-Alexander was an established All-Star by the time Wembanyama stepped foot on an NBA court.

However, the two have met in Spurs vs. Thunder eight times in their careers since Wembanyama’s 2023 debut. As of May 2026, their teams have split those matchups — but with Oklahoma City and San Antonio set to meet in the Western Conference Finals, the tie will soon be broken.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama first played each other on Nov. 14, 2023, in the first few weeks of Wembanyama’s NBA career. In that game, the Thunder cruised to a 123-87 win as Wembanyama was held to just eight points, while Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points.

Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander head-to-head record in 2025-26

• Wembanyama 3, Gilgeous-Alexander 1

It wasn’t until the 2025-26 season that the Spurs-Thunder matchup became an actual budding rivalry. With San Antonio emerging as a potential powerhouse in the West behind Oklahoma City as the defending champions, Spurs-Thunder games pinned the reigning MVP and Finals MVP against Wembanyama, already a megastar and championship-level star player at age 22.

In the 2025-26 regular season, the Spurs and Thunder met five times thanks to four regular season games and an NBA Cup game. Notably, San Antonio won four of them — and Oklahoma City lost just 18 total games all season. Gilgeous-Alexander did not play in the Feb. 4 game that the Spurs won, however.

The first of those matchups came in early December, when the Spurs held on for a 111-109 win in the in-season tournament over the Thunder to advance to the title game. Wembanyama came off the bench, but put up 22 points, while Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points in the loss.

Not long afterward, the teams met on Dec. 23 for a regular-season matchup. Again, the Spurs claimed that game, but in more convincing fashion; in the 130-110 final score, Wembanyama had 12 points and Gilgeous-Alexander had 33.

Two days later, the teams met on Christmas Day. And the Spurs made it three straight wins, claiming a 117-102 victory as they continued cementing themselves as a threat to Oklahoma City’s potential budding dynasty. Wembanyama had 19 points, while Gilgeous-Alexander had 22.

Most recently in the regular season, Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander met on Jan. 13, and the Thunder star got some get-back. Gilgeous-Alexander went for 34 points in a 119-98 Oklahoma City win.

San Antonio also won the Feb. 4 game between the two sides, but Gilgeous-Alexander was absent due to an injury, while Wembanyama totaled 22 points.

MORE: Sporting News polls insiders, media members to name best player in the NBA

Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stats 

Here’s a look at the head-to-head numbers between Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander over their eight career matchups.

SN NBA AWARDS:POY (Victor Wembanyama)| ROY (Kon Knueppel) | COY (Joe Mazzulla)