The NBA’s premier talent is featured in the MVP race, making it one of the most intriguing awards to track throughout the regular season. Although there’s usually plenty of movement early on, the usual suspects tend to emerge as the year goes on.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokić earned his third MVP award in four years this past season, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists across 79 appearances. The 29-year-old is expected to remain at the center of the MVP conversation in 2024-25, but it should be a tight race.
Here are the latest 2024-25 NBA MVP odds.
All NBA odds are current as of Tuesday, July 30, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NBA MVP Betting Odds
- Nikola Jokić (+350)
- Luka Dončić (+370)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+600)
- Joel Embiid (+600)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+650)
- Anthony Edwards (+1200)
- Jayson Tatum (+1800)
- Jalen Brunson (+1800)
- Victor Wembanyama (+2500)
- Ja Morant (+3000)
All other NBA MVP candidates have (+5000) odds or longer.
2024-25 NBA MVP Best Bet
Luka Dončić (+370)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Dončić earned his highest finish in NBA MVP voting this past season, coming in third behind Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 25-year-old superstar led the league in scoring (33.9 points per game) and averaged 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds over 70 appearances.
Those are monstrous numbers, and they’ve almost become the norm for Dončić, who’s a triple-double threat virtually every night. His progress as a scorer was most impressive to watch throughout the 2023-24 season, though, highlighted by a career-high 73-point performance in late January.
I say this almost every year, but Dončić is bound to win his first MVP eventually, and it’s clear that playing with Kyrie Irving has only made him better. On the heels of his first NBA Finals appearance, I’m feeling the Luka Magic.
Back Dončić to earn his first MVP award at (+370) with your NBA bet of the day.
2024-25 NBA MVP Favorites
Nikola Jokić (+350)
DraftKings Sportsbook
There’s no denying that Jokić is the best player in the NBA, and if the MVP was awarded in such a way each year, he would probably have the next few in the bag. That isn’t the case, though, and it’s worth wondering whether voters will begin to go a different way this season.
This would be Jokić’s fourth MVP in five years — a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since LeBron James did it from 2008-2013. There are also concerns that his Nuggets may not be as dominant this season, with the Western Conference getting increasingly more challenging to navigate.
- Find out where the Nuggets stand in our NBA Power Rankings.
Jokić will stuff the stat sheet again in 2024-25, but if Denver takes a step back in the standings, he might not have as strong an argument for his campaign. Simply put, I’m wary of placing a bet on the preseason favorite at (+350).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+600)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate in 2022-23, finishing fifth, and he built upon that in 2023-24 with a second-place result. His 30.1 points per game were good for third in the league, while he continued to fill up the box score with 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals over 75 appearances.
Part of what’s helping Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP campaign is the fact that his Thunder have transformed into a contender with him leading the way. Oklahoma City won 40 games in 2023 before improving to 57-25 in 2024, earning the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed.
SGA is still just 26, and the Thunder made significant improvements over the summer by parting ways with Josh Giddey and bringing in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Another finish atop the standings, led by a big campaign from Gilgeous-Alexander, could help him earn his first MVP.
2024-25 NBA MVP Contenders
Joel Embiid (+600)
DraftKings Sportsbook
Embiid was named MVP in 2022-23, and he looked well on his way to another podium finish in 2023-24 before injuries limited him to a mere 39 appearances. The 30-year-old was on pace for a historic season and finished the year averaging 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
Injuries are almost always a concern with Embiid, but that isn’t the only thing going against his MVP campaign this year. Tyrese Maxey turned in a career year with Philadelphia in 2023-24 (25.9 PPG), and the addition of Paul George could further limit Embiid’s scoring opportunities.
This is a decent value at (+600), but the odds and circumstances seem stacked against Embiid this time around. Expect another dominant season, but I can’t see him winning MVP if he experiences some statistical regression.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+650)
DraftKings Sportsbook
We saw more of the same from Antetokounmpo this past season, averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.3 stocks in 73 games. He also set a new career-high in field goal percentage, converting 61.1% of his looks.
Unfortunately, his Bucks weren’t nearly as dominant in 2023-24, going 49-33 after starting the year at 30-13. Part of that was due to growing pains as he and Damian Lillard learned how to play together, but Doc Rivers’ somewhat questionable coaching down the stretch didn’t help, either.
While Milwaukee is something of a question mark heading into 2025, Antetokounmpo should be in store for another huge campaign. The elite competition may keep him from another first-place finish, but he’ll likely be a mainstay in the conversation throughout the season.
2024-25 NBA MVP Sleepers
Jalen Brunson (+1800)
DraftKings Sportsbook
Brunson’s first All-Star season also coincided with his first top-five finish in the NBA MVP race. The 27-year-old guard was phenomenal for New York, averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists while shooting over 40% from three-point range.
With that said, it feels like Brunson may have hit his ceiling — at least as an MVP candidate. The expectation for him moving forward is that he’ll be good for 30 points per game on any given night, and while he may come close to that, his new supporting cast looks like one of the NBA’s best.
- The Knicks look like a major player in the 2024-25 NBA Finals odds.
Like Embiid, it’s hard to envision Brunson having as many scoring opportunities in 2024-25 with the addition of Mikal Bridges, plus more complete seasons from OG Anunoby and Julius Randle. Perhaps we’ll see him set another new career-high in assists, but I’d expect no more than a top-10 result in this race.
Victor Wembanyama (+2500)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.25 Units
Wembanyama’s name was everywhere throughout his rookie season, and I would expect more of the same in 2024-25. The 20-year-old phenom ran away with the NBA Rookie of the Year award and finished second only to Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year.
An MVP-caliber season in Year 2 wouldn’t be all that surprising, so let’s not rule it out entirely. We’ve never seen a player like Wembanyama in the NBA, and his two-way dominance makes him a unique player in this race. His 3.6 blocks per game were a league-high last year.
The numbers will likely be there for Wembanyama, who should take a step forward as a scorer with another year of experience and from playing alongside Chris Paul. What it may come down to is how well his Spurs perform — San Antonio won just 22 games in 2023-24.
