San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, a French national who won the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year award for the 2023-24 season, has drawn attention in early MVP discussions for the 2024-25 campaign.[1][2]
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian who finished second in the 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player voting behind Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, led the Thunder to the Western Conference's best regular-season record of 57 wins.[3][4][5]
Jokić, a three-time MVP winner (2021, 2022, 2024), remains a top contender this season along with Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, who led the NBA in scoring during 2023-24 with 33.9 points per game, and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.[3][6][7][8]
Current betting odds from ESPN list Gilgeous-Alexander as the favorite to win the 2024-25 MVP, followed closely by Jokić, with Wembanyama among the top candidates in third place according to some sportsbooks.[9]
NBA eligibility rules for major individual awards, including MVP, require players to participate in at least 65 regular-season games.[10]
In the 2023-24 regular season, the Thunder won three of four meetings against the Spurs.[11]
Sources
- NBA.com
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award 2023-24: Victor Wembanyama
May 22, 2024
https://www.nba.com/news/2024-kia-nba-rookie-year-award-wembanyama - NBA.com
Victor Wembanyama Player Profile
Accessed October 2024
https://www.nba.com/player/1631106/victor-wembanyama - NBA.com
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award 2023-24: Nikola Jokić
May 8, 2024
https://www.nba.com/news/kia-nba-most-valuable-player-award-2023-24-jokic - NBA.com
2023-24 NBA Standings
April 14, 2024
https://www.nba.com/standings/2024 - NBA.com
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Player Profile
Accessed October 2024
https://www.nba.com/player/1628983/shai-gilgeous-alexander - NBA.com
Luka Dončić wins 2023-24 scoring title
April 14, 2024
https://www.nba.com/news/luka-doncic-wins-2023-24-scoring-title - NBA.com
Jaylen Brown wins 2024 Finals MVP
June 17, 2024
https://www.nba.com/news/2024-nba-finals-mvp-jaylen-brown - ESPN
NBA betting: 2024-25 MVP odds
October 21, 2024
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41790852/nba-mvp-odds-2024-25-season-luka-lebron-shai-embiid - NBA.com
NBA Board of Governors approve minimum games played eligibility
July 17, 2023
https://www.nba.com/news/nba-board-governors-approve-minimum-games-played-eligibility - Basketball-Reference.com
2023-24 San Antonio Spurs Schedule and Results
Accessed October 2024
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/2024_games.html