Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the heavy favorite to repeat in 2026 at -300, but his greatest threat to the hardware in Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic (+500) is now back in the fold after returning to action on Jan. 30.
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers is still in the mix at +1200 while Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons finds himself with the fourth-shortest odds at 25-to-1.
Here's an updated look at where all contenders currently find themselves in the race to take home the Michael Jordan trophy.
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2026 NBA Most Valuable Player Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | -300 |
| Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | +500 |
| Luka Doncic | Los Angeles Lakers | +1200 |
| Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | +2500 |
| Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics | +5000 |
| Jalen Brunson | New York Knicks | +25000 |
| Tyrese Maxey | Philadelphia 76ers | +25000 |
| Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves | +25000 |
| Donovan Mitchell | Cleveland Cavaliers | +40000 |
| Kawhi Leonard | Los Angeles Clippers | +100000 |
| Kevin Durant | Houston Rockets | +100000 |
Odds as of February 2, 2026 at FanDuel Sportsbook
NBA Most Valuable Player Betting favorite: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
It should come as no surprise that the best player on the best team in the Association sits atop the betting odds leaderboard. Gilgeous-Alexander's numbers (32.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.3 steals) are down from a season ago (32.7 points, five rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.7 steals), but not by much. The Thunder hold a commanding lead in the Western Conference with a 39-11 record as of Feb. 2, and that's come with a slew of players missing significant stretches of time. SGA has only sat twice, while his fellow starters have all been absent for five or more, with some missing at least 20.
NBA Most Valuable Player Betting Favorite: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
A 16-game stretch is the longest Jokic ever sat due to injury, having played 69-70+ games in each of the last 10 seasons. He's averaging a triple-double of 29.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 10.7 assists, along with 29 double-doubles and a league-leading 16 triple-doubles. The league minimum for end-of-season hardware is 65 appearances, so if Jokic misses two or more games from here on out, you can say goodbye to his MVP chances.
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Past 10 NBA Most Valuable Player Winners
| Year | Player | Team | Opening Odds (Pre-Season) | Closing Ends (End of Regular Season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | +400 | |
| 2024 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | +300 | -4000 |
| 2023 | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | +600 | -201 |
| 2022 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | +1600 | -285 |
| 2021 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | +2500 | -8500 |
| 2020 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | +210 | -950 |
| 2019 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | +475 | -1100 |
| 2018 | James Harden | Houston Rockets | +1100 | +175 |
| 2017 | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | +200 | -700 |
| 2016 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | +650 | -400 |
Who has won the most NBA Most Valuable Player Awards?
| Player | # MVP Awards Won | Winning Team of MVP |
|---|---|---|
| Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar | 6 | Milwaukee Bucks (3), Los Angeles Lakers (3) |
| Bill Russell | 5 | Boston Celtics |
| Michael Jordan | 5 | Chicago Bulls |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 4 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| LeBron James | 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2), Miami Heat (2) |
| Moses Malone | 3 | Houston Rockets (2), Philadelphia 76ers (1) |
| Larry Bird | 3 | Boston Celtics |
| Magic Johnson | 3 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Nikola Jokic | 3 | Denver Nuggets |
NBA Teams with the Most Most Valuable Player Winners
| Team | # MVP Awards Won | Most Recent Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | 10 | Larry Bird (1986) |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 8 | Kobe Bryant (2008) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 7 | Joel Embiid (2023) |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | Derrick Rose (2011) |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (2020) |
| Houston Rockets | 4 | James Harden (2018) |
NBA Most Valuable Player Winners by Position
| Position | # MVP Awards Won |
|---|---|
| Center | 30 |
| Point Guard | 11 |
| Power Forward | 11 |
| Small Forward | 9 |
| Shooting Guard | 8 |
NBA Teams With Zero Most Valuable Player Winners
The following eight teams have never had a player be named MVP throughout their history: Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and the Brooklyn Nets.
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How To Read NBA MVP Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2025-26 NBA MVP odds laid out like this:
- Nikola Jokic +350
- Luka Doncic +380
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +550
- Giannis Antetokounmpo +550
Unlike a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+), the player with the lowest odds with the plus sign (+) is the fave. In this scenario, Nikola Jokic is favored. If you were to bet $100 on Jokic in the NBA MVP betting odds and it hits, you would win $350 – your $100 is returned and you would get $350 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named MVP, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s MVP. To make a futures bet, you would first use the handicapping info on this page to make your decision. Our Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the MVP odds and the amount of money you bet.
