NBA MVP Odds & Betting Favorites For 2025-26

NBA odds are one of the most popular betting options available at the BetMGM online sportsbook. But even among those who don’t bet very often, the NBA Most Valuable Player debate is a popular and deeply accessible topic of conversation. 

Even casual observers of American professional basketball usually have opinions. Who’s overrated? Who’s up-and-coming? Who’s won too many, or too few?

Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander good enough to go back-to-back – something only 11 players have done since 1970?

The NBA MVP odds market offers a way to formalize your opinions and – with a little bit of luck – maybe even profit from them.

Here, I break down the full market, including many of the most popular names and candidates for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

NBA MVP Odds 2025-26

NBA MVP Prediction: Who Will Be Named NBA MVP For 2025-26?

Based on the current futures market, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama each have an implied 29.4% chance to win the NBA MVP award in 2026.

NBA MVP Odds: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder guard, is currently +175 to win NBA MVP.

With the 2025 season now wrapped, Gilgeous-Alexander is a league star, an MVP, an NBA champion, and a Finals MVP. That’s quite the resume line for the 27-year-old.

The Thunder point guard is following up his first championship season with a 34 ppg average this season, the third-best scoring clip in the NBA. Skeptics call Shai a free-throw merchant, but he’s shooting 52% from the floor. 

Barring an injury or scandal, SGA should remain in the thick of the MVP race for multiple seasons to come.

(OKC) @ +175

NBA MVP Odds: Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs center, is currently +1200 to win NBA MVP.

In his third season of NBA basketball, the 21-year-old Wembanyama appears to have arrived as a superstar. He’s pacing the Spurs with 30 points per game and leads the NBA in rebounding. He’s also adding in three assists and five blocks per game, the latter of which often dominate SportsCenter and social media.

Basketball fans have always known a fully operational Wembanyama had an MVP ceiling. It was only a matter of when the Spurs would unlock that full potential. 

Early returns from this season are promising, which explains why Wembanyama has leapt from a midrange prospect to a betting favorite in just a couple of weeks. 

As of Oct. 29, he’s the most popular MVP option among BetMGM players, accounting for 21.2% of tickets and 25.4% of handle.

Victor Wembanyama @ +1200

NBA MVP Odds: Luka Dončić

Luka Dončić, the Lakers forward, is currently +450 to win NBA MVP.

A new ownership group has made it clear that LeBron James is the past and Luka is the future. For MVP bettors, that leads to an interesting series of questions. 

Perhaps at the top of the list: How heliocentric will the coaching staff allow Dončić to get? A superstar in his prime is something the Lakers haven’t had in 20 years or so, meaning a high-usage Luka could lead to major MVP buzz.

The viability of Dončić in the 2026 MVP race will depend heavily on his health and fitness, but also the quality of the Lakers team that’s put around him. If Luka is a great player on a middling franchise, it’s hard to see the glitz of the Lake Show iconography saving him. 

Nevertheless, a lot of bettors like Dončić as their MVP, as he accounts for roughly one-fifth of all MVP handle at BetMGM. You can probably thank your local Lakers fan for that.

Luka Doncic @ +450

NBA MVP Odds: Nikola Jokic

 Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets center, is currently +200 to win NBA MVP.

The three-time MVP began the offseason as the player favored to win a fourth trophy in 2026. The lofty positioning alongside SGA in BetMGM’s market-opening odds is a reflection of the two-legged race that dominated last season’s MVP race. 

Jokić might be a boring target for MVP voting, which could lead to lower betting interest outside of Colorado – especially at this short of a return. 

Wembanyama is the hot commodity right now in the MVP race, and he does have the ceiling to overtake all other players. But Jokic is a tried-and-true star in this league who rarely gets hurt and always has his team well-positioned at the end of the season. His MVP candidacy cannot be dismissed so easily.

Nikola Jokic @ +200

NBA MVP Odds: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks superstar, is currently +900 to win NBA MVP.

The Greek Freak, now approaching age 31, presents an interesting MVP profile for bettors. He’s one of the best players in the league, and he remains a multi-year MVP winner – something truly rare in the history of the league.

Even more powerful than all that, though, is the narrative power that Giannis and the Bucks can bring to the table for this season.

Milwaukee has steadily degraded the quality of its team since winning the 2021 NBA championship, and next season’s team is unlikely to make any big strides back toward contention. Yet Antetokounmpo – widely seen as a threat to leave town next summer – could put the team on his back in a depleted Eastern conference, leading to a Last Dance-esque regular season run. 

This is an interesting value buy, if nothing else. Giannis and the Bucks will benefit from low expectations in a barren conference, which could be a successful formula for MVP relevance. His price point has been sticky for months, too, which means the market is willing to keep considering him, even as other contenders rise.

Giannis Antetokounmpo @ +900

NBA MVP Odds: Tyrese Maxey

Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers guard, is currently +10000 to win NBA MVP. 

The Sixers are increasingly building their team around the talents of Tyrese Maxey, who is leading the NBA in scoring this season with 35 points per game. His nine assists per game are also a top-10 individual mark.

This is a great team success story but a questionable MVP angle. Maxey’s path to the MVP would be to accumulate massive stats and drive the 76ers to the No. 1 seed in a lousy Eastern Conference. 

Even in that scenario, it’s tough to see Maxey breaking through to the top of the market. But at 100-to-1, the buy point is right for a little speculation.

Tyrese Maxey @ +10000

NBA MVP Odds: Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves guard, is currently +8000 to win NBA MVP.

Edwards is a popular name with a Jordan-esque aesthetic, and the Timberwolves have been to two straight conference finals. That explains why he’s this high in the table.

But as watchable and authentic as Edwards is, he’s unlikely to have the explosive, stat-loaded season that many of his Western conference rivals will. 

Edwards is likable and could even receive a small popularity boost as an American – you never know what’ll matter in a popularity contest market – but that’s just not enough to favor him over the top names in the MVP race. 

Anthony Edwards @ +8000

NBA MVP Odds: Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson, the Knicks guard, is currently +25000 to win NBA MVP.

A hyperclutch, high-usage shotmaker, playing in the biggest media market in the world, spanning the gap to a new coaching regime? Who gave money off his contract to make the team better? And is playing in the East?

You can see why Brunson might be an alluring MVP candidate for some. But BetMGM players have been relatively hands-off – Brunson only accounts for 2.9% of all tickets in the market.

Jalen Brunson @ +25000

NBA MVP Odds: Cade Cunningham

Cade Cunningham, the Pistons guard, is currently +5000 to win NBA MVP.

This position is a huge compliment to Cunningham, who is growing in both usage and effectiveness. But given the performances closer to the top of the market, it’s hard to see Cunningham winning the award without a major shakeup.

Cade Cunningham @ +5000

NBA MVP Odds: Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry, the Warriors icon, is currently +25000 to win NBA MVP.

Curry will turn 38 next spring, but he’s a guard with a low-impact style of play, so that matters a bit less. 

Still, an MVP bet on Steph at this point in his career – and with this roster in San Francisco – feels about five years too late. 

Stephen Curry @ +25000

NBA MVP Odds: Kevin Durant 

Kevin Durant, the Rockets forward, is currently +25000 to win NBA MVP.

Durant is a gifted scorer and a no-doubt Hall of Famer. His Rockets will have a real chance to win the West and play for a championship this year.

His path to an MVP is a lot harder. The MVP award is about greatness and narratives, and it’s hard to determine what Durant’s edge would be in the latter category. On a deep team, in a crowded conference, what would a known elite scorer like Durant have to do to impress voters?

He can’t carry an undeserving team, since the Rockets’ roster is quite good. If they beat out Denver, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and other Western contenders, that credit will accrue to the overall team dynamic, or perhaps even the front office for making the Durant move in the first place.

Durant is great, but I genuinely can’t imagine what would even have to happen for him to be holding the MVP trophy at the end of the year. Even a fat buy point like this doesn’t get me interested.

Kevin Durant @ +25000

NBA MVP Odds: LeBron James

LeBron James, the Lakers forward, is currently +50000 to win NBA MVP.

Of course, BetMGM offers the option to bet a LeBron MVP at age 41, and of course, there will be LeBron stans that jump at the opportunity. 

Back here in reality, LeBron can’t win this award. I’m not even sure he would want to. He’d much prefer a championship at this point in his career; the amount of energy he’d have to burn, and injury risk he’d have to assume, to play an MVP season at age 41 would be astronomical.

That’s assuming he gets healthy enough to play in the first place.  

Assuming James remains with the Lakers all season, the most likely path forward is a workload that looks closer to 28 minutes a night, with some added rest days for good measure. That keeps him optimally ready to play in the postseason.

An MVP at this stage isn’t just unlikely – it’s unnecessary.

LeBron James @ +50000

List of NBA MVP Winners