Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player voting, is again a top contender for the award in the 2024-25 season.[1][2]
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, the unanimous 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, has bolstered his MVP candidacy with strong statistical output in his second season.[1][3]
Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 French player selected first overall in the 2023 NBA draft, entered recent games averaging approximately 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks per game.[3]
Other leading candidates include three-time MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks, the latter a frequent league scoring leader.[2][4]
NBA rules approved in 2023 require players to participate in at least 65 regular-season games to qualify for postseason awards including MVP.[5]
Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard recently shared his MVP ballot, listing Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander among his top choices.[6]
The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Western Conference standings midway through the 2024-25 regular season, while the Spurs hold a play-in tournament position.[7]
Sources
- NBA.com
Title: Victor Wembanyama wins 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year award
Publication date: April 25, 2024
https://www.nba.com/news/victor-wembanyama-wins-2023-24-kia-nba-rookie-of-the-year-award - Basketball-Reference.com
Title: 2023-24 NBA MVP Award voting
Accessed: March 25, 2025
https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_2024.html - Basketball-Reference.com
Title: Victor Wembanyama Stats
Accessed: March 25, 2025
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wembavi01.html - NBA.com
Title: Nikola Jokić profile
Accessed: March 25, 2025
https://www.nba.com/player/253364/nikola-jokic - NBA.com
Title: NBA Board of Governors approves minimum games played rules for MVP, Rookie of the Year eligibility
Publication date: February 15, 2023
https://www.nba.com/news/nba-board-governors-approve-minimum-games-played-mvp-roty - Fox Sports
Title: Chris Broussard NBA MVP ballot (example page; specific ballot varies)
Accessed: March 25, 2025
https://www.foxsports.com/nba/chris-broussard - NBA.com
Title: 2024-25 NBA Standings
Accessed: March 25, 2025
https://www.nba.com/standings
