The NBA is a league full of excitement and unpredictability. Any team could win at any time. The NBA is the most prestigious professional basketball league in the world. It hosts many awards at the end of the regular season – including Rookie (First-year player) of the Year and Defensive player of the year. But one stands out from the rest, the Most Valuable Player award–essentially given out to the best player in the league. The award is determined by a panel of a 100 sportswriters and broadcasters across the US and Canada with a weighted voting system. First place votes are worth 10 points, second place is worth 7, third place votes are worth 5 points, fourth place votes are worth 3 points, and fifth place votes are worth 1 point. Over the past 7 years, foreigners have been dominating the award—with the last American player who won the award was James Harden. This trend might change in 2026, we the audience can never know for sure.
Favorites such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, who have won the award the past 2 seasons, may not win considering they might be ineligible for the award. In the 2023-2024 season, the NBA introduced a new rule that states that in order for players to be eligible for major awards, they must play in 65 out of 82 games (playing at least 20 minutes in 63 of them). This is a huge problem for the reigning MVP as Shai has missed 11 games out of 69 games his team (Oklahoma City Thunder) has played this season while the 2024 MVP, Nikola Jokic, has missed 16 out of 69 games.
Nikola Jokic is putting up monster numbers with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists per game while shooting with top tier efficiency—making 57% percent of his shots and 40% of his 3 pointers! Statistically, Jokic is winning by a landslide and literally is the Nuggets offense. He has led his Nuggets to the 5 seed which looks worse compared to Shai’s and Cunningham’s teams which are both the best teams for their respective conferences.
Don’t forget about Shai–the reigning MVP on the Thunder, who has also put up impressive numbers. This season, he has averaged 32 points and 7 assists, leading his team the Thunder to the number one seed at a record of 51-15, winning 77 percent of their games. He is the leading favorite–for a good reason as he balances stats and team performance. Currently, Fanduel puts him at -260 odds to win the MVP. Although he has the stats to back him up, many disregard his style of play due his consistent foul- baiting.
After those two, Cade Cunnigham is the next favorite. He has put on a solid performance this season averaging 25.3 points and 9.9 assists—nearly a double-double(a notorious statline in basketball where the player gets double figures in 2 stats). He has led the Pistons to the 1 seed with a record of 45-15. Even though Cunningham has put up solid stats, many critics don’t believe that will be enough to compete against Shai who is averaging 32 points and 6 assists.
Due to the NBA’s 65-game rule, a sleeper pick may come in and steal the award. Sleeper picks include Victor Wembanyama, a basketball phenom at 7 foot 4 inches. He has put up solid stats this year—averaging a double-double at 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. Luka Doncic also has a shot at the award as he has led his Lakers to the third seed in the west. Luka Doncic has monster stats at 33 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds per game, nearing a triple-double!
The NBA MVP is ruthless. Anyone can snatch the trophy at any moment in the season. A bad game or an injury could take out a contender. A strong final stretch of games by an underdog could upset the contenders. Regardless, the road to the award is a wild rollercoaster and these last 13 games will need to be top tier in order for any of these particular players to persuade the panel that they are fit for the award.
