NBA MVP Odds
With the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in the rearview, let’s now concentrate solely on basketball as the league hits the stretch run to the postseason. One of the big questions as the regular season begins to wind down is: Who is the leading candidate to win the Most Valuable Player award this year? Here’s a look at the players with the best MVP odds right now to capture the honor this season, according to sports.betmgm.com.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: +30000
Why he could win:? The No. 1 seed in the East isn’t out of the question for the Celtics, who have one of the easiest schedules the rest of the way. If the Cleveland Cavs do slip, Boston could reach the top, opening the door for Tatum (27.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists).
Why he wouldn’t win:? While possible, the Celtics likely aren’t catching the Cavs for the No. 1 seed. The defending champs also have so much depth with Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis that Tatum won’t always post big numbers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: +12500
Why he could win?: Antetokounmpo’s numbers (31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 blocks) garner him consideration. With 28 games remaining, he can lead the Bucks on an incredible run, and they could climb from the No. 5 seed to No. 2 or No. 3 in the East.
Why he wouldn’t win?: The two-time winner has struggled with a calf injury and Thursday’s game was the first he played in since Feb. 2. The Bucks might be cautious, and he could be in and out of the lineup. Players must play in at least 65 games to qualify for the award. He’s played in 42.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: +300
Why he could win?: The three-time award winner is averaging a triple-double (29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.2 assists) and shooting 45% from 3-point land. Those numbers are better than last season when he won. Denver is also heating up, winning eight out of its last 10.
Why he wouldn’t win:? Voter fatigue. Michael Jordan should’ve won more than five MVPs. LeBron James should have more than four. Jokic’s greatness is being taken for granted. The Nuggets also can’t finish 8.5 games behind the No. 1 seed in the West as they are now.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: -500
Why he could win?: Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the best team (44-10) in the league. That’s been a winning formula. He leads the NBA in scoring at 32.5 points, shooting 52.5 percent from the field, and averages 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
Why he wouldn’t win?: It would take a gigantic team collapse or severe injury to him in order for SGA not to win his first NBA MVP award. But there’s no reason to believe OKC won’t keep stacking wins, and he’s been durable, playing in 53 out of 54 games so far.
All-Star Game Weekend Rewind
In case you did miss it, here’s a recap of the festivities last weekend:
— San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle was named MVP of the Rising Stars event after leading Team C past Team G in the title game.
— Team Cavs (Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley) won the Skills Challenge competition, but the better story was Team Spurs (Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama) got disqualified for cheating.
— Miami Heat star Tyler Herro outgunned Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield and Cavs’ Darius Garland in the last round to win the 3-point contest.
— Mac McClung, a two-way player for the Orlando Magic, soared over a car to win his third consecutive and maybe his final slam dunk contest.
— Lastly, Shaq’s OGs, which consisted of future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Damian Lillard, cruised past Chuck’s Global Stars to win the first-ever All-Star mini-tournament.
Records as of Feb. 20, stats courtesy of nba.com
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