Who will be the MVP Award Winner for the NBA Regular Season?
Who will be the MVP Award Winner for the NBA Regular Season?
The MVP is awarded to the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the NBA regular season. It has been handed out annually since the 1955-56 season and is given to the player who is judged to have put in the best performances throughout the campaign.
A voting panel consists of 100 sports broadcasters and journalists, all of whom will make five selections (1-5), with each player awarded points accordingly (1-10). The NBA star with the highest total will be awarded the trophy.
Ordinarily, the MVP will play for a team that qualifies for the end-of-season playoffs, although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only exception to this rule. MVP winners are also eligible to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Last season, a new agreement was put into place stipulating that a player must feature in a minimum of 65 games in order to be eligible for this award. In each of these appearances, MVP nominees must have been on the course for at least 20 minutes.
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Previous Winners of the Regular Season MVP
Naturally, the MVP award has been won by some of the sport’s biggest names. Bob Pettit, who played for the St. Louis Hawks was the first recipient of the award in 1956. Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon was the MVP winner who was born outside of the US in 1994.
Steve Nash’s success in 2005 was the first time that the MVP has been awarded to a Canadian-born player whereas Dirk Nowitzki’s award two years later was the first time a European has claimed this accolade.
Across the last couple of decades, the MVP has been dominated by a small number of players including Lebron James, who won four times in five seasons between 2008 and 2013. Stephen Curry won twice in a row between 2014 and 2016 with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic dominating recent seasons. The latter was victorious for the third time in 2023.
Nevertheless, the aforementioned Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the most decorated player when it comes to the MVP award. He won it six times, split between his stints at the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He is closely followed by Michael Jordan and Bill Russell, both of whom have been successful on five occasions.
There are just three players who have been successful in three consecutive seasons: Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
The Boston Celtics have had the most winners with ten of their players picking up this award.
Who is in Contention for the 2024-25 Season?
Three players have dominated the MVP nominations across the last few seasons with Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoying a stranglehold on this award. All three players are in the running once again with Jokic currently listed as third favourite in the betting at 6.0.
He will face some stiff competition from Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both of whom are prominent in the betting. Doncic has enjoyed a hugely impressive couple of season in NBA and was ranked first and second for scoring and assists last season. He’s increased his points-per-game every season since 2020 and finished as a top six finalist last year. He has noticeably improved the defensive side of his game this time around and many fans believe that this could finally be his time.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the runner-up last season finishing behind Nikola Jokic in the voting for the 2023-24 voting. He is widely predicted to go one better this time around with his numbers remaining strong. He has helped his side start the season strongly (9-2) and is averaging 27.8 points per game. With 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebound, he has played a significantly role in helping the Thunder look like a highly efficient operation.
In his quest for a 4th MVP award, Nikola Jokic continues to catch the eye. His numbers are showing very few signs of slowing down and his versatility is one of his greatest assets. With an average of 29.7 points, 11.7 assists and 13.7 rebounds, he cannot be discounted from the conversation.
The Boston Celtics are off to a quick start and Jayson Tatum has looked like a player reborn. Having enjoyed Olympic success this summer, he is averaging 30.2 points per game and 7 rebounds per match. Having signed the largest NBA contract in the history of the competition and having led his side to victory earlier in the year, it’s been an excellent 2024 so far and Tatum will be hoping that he can ice that cake with an MVP award.