The MVP Award is the most coveted individual accolade in the NBA regular season, perhaps only the Finals MVP outstripping it overall – though that probably depends on who you ask. Regardless of how you rank those two, it’s a significant award and one that elevates the historical standing of whoever wins it. For much of history, the MVP was won virtually exclusively by American players, but the influx of international talent has been swift and for years now, that talent has had exclusive ownership of the award. In 2019, Giannis Antetokounmpo became just the fifth international player to win it in over 60 years of history, and that kickstarted a run of six consecutive MVPs which went to players from outside of the United States – three to Nikola Jokic, two to Giannis and one to Joel Embiid. Once again, those internationals are the players to beat in 2024-25, with those three as well as Slovenian marvel Luka Doncic and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the comfortable top five with NBA betting sites. Below, we take a look at each of their chances, as well as some of the players likely to be nipping at their heels.
NBA 2023-24 MVP Winner Betting Preview – Odds, Tips & Predictions
2024-25 NBA MVP Odds
| Player |  |  |  |
| Luka Doncic | $4.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| Nikola Jokic | $4.60 | $4.60 | $4.00 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | $6.00 | $6.00 | $6.00 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | $7.00 | $7.00 | $6.50 |
| Joel Embiid | $7.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 |
| Anthony Edwards | $13.00 | $13.00 | $13.00 |
| Jayson Tatum | $19.00 | $19.00 | $21.00 |
| Jalen Brunson | $21.00 | $21.00 | $17.00 |
| Victor Wembanyama | $23.00 | $23.00 | $17.00 |
| Ja Morant | $34.00 | $34.00 | $26.00 |
Favourites to win the 2024-25 NBA MVP
Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
It has seemed like a foregone conclusion that Luka Doncic will win at least one MVP – and very possibly more than that – during his career ever since he entered the league, but six seasons in he is still without one. Perhaps 2024/25 could be his year. The Slovenian was a finalist for the first time last season, having been likely just outside the top three many times prior, but ultimately finished third to Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That was a pretty good indication of just how good the seasons of those two was, because Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists while leading his Mavericks to a season that nobody really expected out of them. Numbers are not everything and there is no denying the fact that he has a very high usage rate, but he hits those numbers with incredible efficiency given how lofty they are. Doncic is a fantastic facilitator, close to an unstoppable scorer, and a quality shooter – even though last year was the first that he actually hit a high percentage from three, given the difficulty and volume of those shots the 38.2% he managed in 2023/24 from long range is an impressive number.
His Mavericks side is extremely top heavy, with a wildly talented backcourt consisting of he and Kyrie Irving and then a big drop off to their third best player, so for him to be able to lead that team all the way to the Conference Finals was some effort. This year, they will have a potentially important addition in Klay Thompson, who will both provide a lethal shooter for Doncic to facilitate for, and importantly space the floor to better enable him to dance his way to the rim. It’s very likely that Doncic once again puts together some extraordinary number this season, with a 30+ point triple-double average very much on the cards, and if the Mavericks can go close to winning 50 or more games and finishing around the top four in the Western Conference then he will be a hard man to stop. Unfortunately for his chances, he is playing in an era with a couple of other truly remarkable players, meaning those numbers probably need to be combined with a very good win/loss record for his team for him to have a chance. But having won 50 games last year there is no reason to think the Mavs can’t repeat that effort this year, and with Doncic likely to be the premier architect behind it he will be hard to beat.
Bet on Luka Doncic to win the MVP @ $4.50 with PlayUp
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
The Joker is casually going about establishing himself as one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a basketball court, not that he seems to be particularly bothered by it. The Serbian last year won his third MVP Award, joining an exclusive list of just eight others to have done so; a list that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone. Still just 29 years of age, he could easily have more left in him yet, and if he wins it this season he’ll knock the last three names off the list of players who have won as many as him. Jokic last season did what he has been doing ever since he won his first MVP Award two years ago; scoring in the mid-high 30s at a very efficient clip, going close to leading the league in rebounding – oh, and dishing out nearly ten assists a game as his team’s starting centre. Widely regarded as the best passing big man of all time, that categorisation does him a disservice, because he is one of the best passers of all time full stop, and there are few in the game at present who can rival both his reading of the game and ability to spot the open man, as well as his ability to execute.
More than likely, Jokic will bring more of the same this season, and he should be doing so on a team that will once again finish towards the top of the Western Conference. Of interest will be how the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, obviously a ball-dominant point guard, impacts him, but Westbrook will likely be playing in fits and spurts as he did for the Clippers and Mike Malone certainly won’t be letting him run the show in place of Jokic too much. Perhaps more relevant to Jokic’s MVP chances are the narrative that surrounds him. Arguably too much, MVP voting is dictated by particular narratives that rear their heads each season; in 2022-23, there was no doubt an element of ‘voter fatigue’ which prevented him winning a third in a row, while last year, the fact that he hadn’t won the year prior when he very easily could have was at the forefront of the MVP conversation all year. So how does that bode for this season? Will the prevailing view be that it’s time for the likes of Doncic to win an inaugural MVP, or will Jokic again be so dominant that he’s impossible to ignore? Only time will tell, but having dominated the way he has for the past four years while missing very few games along the way, it’s likely he is in for another huge season, and should be right in the mix.
Bet on Nikola Jokic to win the MVP @ $4.60 with PlayUp
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has looked the goods ever since entering the league in 2018, but over the past two years he has taken a leap into superstardom. He took a huge step forward in 2022-23, going from 24.5 points per game to 31.4, and while that dropped back slightly last season, he was probably a better overall player – and it showed in the MVP voting. Overall he averaged 30.1 points per game on 53.5% shooting while also dishing out a career-high 6.2 assists. Most important of all, however, was the fact that he was the dominant player on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that improved out of sight to finish on top of a stacked Western Conference – something that nobody in their right mind could have predicted. Of course, the brilliant first season of Chet Holmgren, rapid improvement of the talented Jalen Williams, and a few other more than handy bits and pieces certainly helped, but Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of the show and they would not have enjoyed nearly the regular season success that they did without him.
He is now 26 years of age and right in the prime of his career, and if he’s not the same player that he was last season in this one, it’ll be because he’s better. What’s more, with Holmgren and Williams so young – along with the rest of this team – they will very possibly improve further, and being the best player on one of the best teams is always a recipe for MVP contention. Of course, Jokic will probably also be in that category as will potentially a couple of others on this list, and he will have to beat some players that will no doubt put together some remarkable seasons, as has become the norm of late. The concern around him will be whether the 30-6-6 type stat lines that he tends to average will be enough to beat what some of the incredibly unique and gifted other stars in the league manage, but based on last year’s effort, he is popular with the voters. In his second year properly in the MVP mix, Gilgeous-Alexander is more than capable of winning.
Bet on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win the MVP @ $6.00 with PlayUp
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Giannis Antetokounmpo kickstarted the current run of international dominance over the MVP Award, becoming the fifth international to win it in 2019 and then going back to back the next year. Since then, he has been every bit as good, but the development of a handful of others has seen him usurped as the best player in the game. But the Greek Freak remains a dominant force in the NBA, and one whose name is in or around the MVP conversation every year. Last year was arguably his best in the league – at least from a statistical standpoint – with his 30.4 points per game coming at a career-high 61.1% from the field, the 6.5 assists he averaged easily the best of his career, and 11.5 rebounds right around what he normally does. Oh, and he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
Last season it was always going to be tough for him to win given his Bucks’ team disappointed throughout the course of the season, and if he’s to get back in the race against the likes of Jokic and Doncic this year then Milwaukee will need to win 50+ games and finish high in the Eastern Conference – which they are more than capable of doing. By this stage of his career, we know what we are going to get from Giannis – he will score 30-odd points per game on high shooting percentage, defend as well as anyone, facilitate at a reasonable level and crash the boards. On the flip side, he will not space the floor, and that shooting deficiency will remain the glaring weakness in his game throughout his career. But beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s safe to say he still has a fairly comprehensive bag to dip into. As for the MVP? A top five finish seems likely, but he will probably need a couple of others to have down seasons for him to make it to the top.
Bet on Giannis Antetokounmpo to win the MVP @ $7.00 with PlayUp
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
To the final member of the standout international quintet with betting sites, and the third former winner of the group. Joel Embiid took the award out just marginally ahead of Jokic in 2022-23 for a season in which he averaged an incredible 33.1 points per game on 54.8% shooting, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks. Last season, he was on track to go even better, putting up a ridiculous 34.7 points per game and significantly improving his passing output to average 5.6 assists – easily the best of his career. Unfortunately, injuries reared their ugly head once again for the Cameroonian, cutting his season short and ruling him out of MVP contention with only 39 games played. They will always be a concern for a man who has contended with myriad issues throughout his career, but when he is on the court he is as dominant a force as there is in the game.
Embiid is a throwback centre, the kind of centre who is simply too big and too strong to stop. He can bully his way to the rim against anyone in the league, while a wet jumper from the mid-range makes him even more impossible to stop – plus he’s shot in the high-30s from beyond the arc in three of his past four seasons. Add to the mix the passing game which has improved throughout his career and which progressed dramatically last season, and you’ve basically got Shaquille O’Neal with a jumper and great floor vision. Embiid isn’t exactly a smoky at $7, but a little way down the list he could present great value for this award. The threat of injuries is always there, but if he is on the court he could be in for a dominant year. With Paul George in the fray, the 76ers could be really good this year, and if Embiid plays a whole year he could easily go close to averaging something like 35-10-5. On a top team, that will be hard for MVP voters to ignore.
NBA MVP Second Tier Contenders
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
There is a pretty significant drop to the sixth favourite in the award with all betting sites in Australia, with the first American on the list in Anthony Edwards paying nearly double that of Embiid and Giannis entering the season. And there is good reason for that; Edwards is extremely talented an on his way to becoming one of the absolute best of the best, but he still has a fair bit of improvement required to be playing at the level of the names above. Having said that, the number one pick from the 2020 draft has improved each and every year in the league to the point where last season, he averaged 25.9 points and 5.1 assists per game – both career highs. Importantly, he became the go-to man on a Timberwolves team which defied all expectations to win 56 games and finish third in the Western Conference.
Another season like that for Minnesota will be necessary for Edwards to get near this award, but so too will plenty of improvement. At 23 years of age it’s safe to assume that he will be better this season than he was last, particularly given how he has grown each season in the league, but with Jokic, Doncic, Embiid and the other names above doing such incredible things statistically – and certainly not by just putting up hollow stats – Edwards will probably need to put about five more points per game on the board and lift his assist rate significantly too. It’s a big ask for the capable point guard. He is primed to have, once again, the best season of his career and should be the main man on a quality team, but he will need to play out of his skin and probably have some of the above names fail to deliver to the level of which they’re capable if he’s to win the MVP this season.
Bet on Anthony Edwards to win the MVP @ $13.00 with PlayUp
Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Jayson Tatum is an interesting case when it comes to MVP betting. If it all came down to the best player on the best team then he would have won it last season – even if he didn’t win the Finals MVP – but while team performance is a factor, it’s not the be all and end all and the names ahead of Tatum on the voting ballet were also on quality teams, even if they weren’t quite at the level of the Celtics. Tatum’s numbers dropped last season from 30.1 points per game in 2022-23 to 26.9, but that was only indicative of the quality of teammates around him and his admirable willingness to take a slight step back for the team’s benefit – not always a quality which is easy to find in the NBA.
Tatum is an extremely good player – top ten in the league – but there is no denying the cold, hard reality that 27-8-4 just won’t get you an MVP Award. And as good as he is, there remains a few players in the league who have a higher ceiling – as was evidenced at the Olympics where he rarely played – controversial in the eyes of some, but with Kevin Durant and LeBron James filling his position it’s hard to argue with coach Steve Kerr’s decision-making. The Celtics are the red-hot favourites to go back-to-back this year and Tatum will be the head of the snake, but as good as he is he does not, and probably never will, have the extraordinary abilities of some of the international talent leading the league at the minute. Tatum is at decent odds particularly with sites like Unibet and at just 26 years of age still has plenty of scope to continue improving, but after seven years in the league it’s unlikely he will take the monumental jump required this year to go past Jokic, Embiid, Doncic and co.
Bet on Jayson Tatum to win the MVP @ $21.00 with UniBet
Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
Back to the internationals, and to the outsider who probably has the most scope to take an incredible leap into the absolute upper tier of NBA stars this season. Victor Wembanyama was the most hyped prospect since LeBron James, if not even more so, after being selected with the first pick in the 2023 draft. With expectations higher than his standing reach, it was always going to be tough to live up to the hype, but he did – and then some. Wembanyama’s first season was extraordinary – he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.6 (!!) blocks, and even more frightening for the rest of the league than those pure numbers is the fact that he improved significantly throughout the course of the season. Post the All-Star break, his numbers improved in every single major statistical category, and over those 22 games he averaged 23.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals and a ridiculous 4.5 blocks. Those are some crazy, crazy numbers, and more than likely he will improve on them – potentially by quite a lot – this coming season.
If he does, then he will have numbers that will be really hard to ignore. Of course, he is only 20 and one season into his NBA career, so his game is far from perfect – his shooting percentage was just over 45% last season and he turned it over close to as often as he dished out assists, and he’ll need to iron out those kinks if he’s to get near the level of the best in the business. What’s more, the Spurs suck. That’s not his fault – he is far and away their best player – but if they remain near the bottom of the table he just won’t get MVP consideration, even if he does improve significantly. That right there is probably his major problem – it’s hard to imagine the Spurs being much good. Having said that, if they do somehow work their way into playoff contention, it will likely be largely on the back of Wembanyama. If he stays on the floor he will be a perennial MVP candidate for many years to come, but a lot has to go right for that to happen this year. But his ceiling is limitless, which is exactly what you want in an outside bet.
Bet on Victor Wembanyama to win the MVP @ $23.00 with PlayUp
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