NBA MVP odds: What to know about betting favorites for 2024-25 season
The NBA season is more or less right at the halfway point, and that means fans and pundits are starting to ponder who will mount the strongest candidacy to win the 2024-25 MVP award.
Last season's winner Nikola Jokic is once again meeting his sky-high standards with the Denver Nuggets, as is a dominant Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two big men have won five of the last six MVP awards between them, but this year they're getting a strong challenge from current scoring leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, and a breakout season from French youngster Victor Wembanyama.
Meanwhile, New York Knicks duo Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both have their backers, making the MVP picture a complicated one to sort out. However, the oddsmakers have started to lean towards a few clear favorites in a race that might still have some twists and turns ahead.
Here's how the latest NBA MVP odds look on Saturday, Jan. 18, courtesy of BetMGM.
NBA MVP odds: Favorites for 2024-25 season
- 1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG, Oklahoma City Thunder): -350
- 2. Nikola Jokic (C, Denver Nuggets): +250
- 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF, Milwaukee Bucks): +4000
- 4. Jayson Tatum (SF, Boston Celtics): +5000
- 5. Victor Wembanyama (PF, San Antonio Spurs): +10000
- 6t. Anthony Edwards (SG, Minnesota Timberwolves): +50000
- 6t. Jalen Brunson (PG, New York Knicks): +50000
- 6t. Donovan Mitchell (SG, Cleveland Cavaliers): +50000
- 6t: Karl-Anthony Towns (PF, New York Knicks): +50000
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a convincing MVP favorite by getting it done at both ends. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is leading the NBA in points per game (31.6), offering strong defensive performances, and as a result, has already won the Western Conference Player of the Month award twice. With OKC leading the conference by 6.5 games at the moment, Gilgeous-Alexander has the platform to lead this race all the way to the end.
That said, it won't be easy to hold off some of the game's biggest stars. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is his biggest challenger, with advanced data favoring the do-it-all Serbian center. Another winner of multiple MVP crowns, Giannis Antentokounmpo, and 2024 NBA champions Jayson Tatum are next on the list, but the oddsmakers currently see them as "best of the rest," with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic in what is essentially a two-horse race at this point.