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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MAY 18: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center on May 18, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Superstar center Victor Wembanyama made the All-NBA first-team, but one specific voter prevented him from being unanimous after voting him to the second team. Fans of the San Antonio Spurs phenom were taken back since most easily considered Wembanyama a top five player in the league this season, especially with some names not making the 65-game minimum to qualify for awards.

SiriusXM radio host Justin Termine was the voter and spoke about it on his radio show today:

“I think [Wembanyama’s] a better player than SGA right now. I think he is the best player in the world right now. But I thought Jokic had a better regular season at the same position. This year [Wembanyama] was the second-best center, and I vote by position. In my opinion it is unfair historically to those who came before us, who I have great respect for, that those guys at center were not allowed to be on the First Team at the same time.”

NBA removed position voting a few years ago and does not want voters to pick players based on a lineup. The goal was to ensure that the best overall players get selected to the first team and so on for all three all-NBA teams. Termine claimed that he had the right to vote for position due to past players getting snubbed from the many previous years of position-based voting.

Voter Cited 1990s NBA Center Voting History

The 1990s featured a four-some of iconic centers playing at the same time. Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and a young Shaquille O’Neal were all battling for the top overall center position to complicate All-NBA voting.

Many seasons featured one or more of these names snubbed from making any of the three teams due to only one center being allowed for each team. Robinson and Olajuwon battling for MVP made it strange to see the second-best player in a specific season making the All-NBA second team.

The voter believed that Nikola Jokic was the best center in the league and punished Wemby by making him to the second team. Termine thinks it’s disrespectful to names like Olajuwon, Ewing, and Robinson to vote two centers on an All-NBA first team, despite what the league states.

Why This Could Become Major NBA Problem

Only one voter having this mindset didn’t change much since Wembanyama easily made the All-NBA first team with every other voting for him. However, this confirms that voters may have their own rule system over looking at it objectively through NBA intentions.

Players to make the All-NBA team for the time, like Jalen Duren, are going to make a lot more money than if they missed it. Financial bonuses and contract stipulations being tied to this make it more pivotal to the NBA talent.

If other voters start doing this or changing the guidelines to fit their desires, it could impact careers. Adam Silver may have to step in and enforce that all voters vote positionless since the rules dictate that today. Don’t be surprised if Termine loses his vote next season.