We know who won the 2024 NBA MVP, but it’s never too early to preview this season’s candidates to win The Michael Jordan Trophy. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid have combined to win the past four MVP awards, but we have a feeling a newcomer will emerge.
Now that the NBA season is in full swing, these are our frontrunners to vie for The Michael Jordan Trophy, otherwise known as the MVP award, in 2025.
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10. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
The NBA’s best scorer today, Luka Doncic, is undoubtedly talented. He also has a unique flair for setting his teammates up in transition. But he doesn’t play defense, and without it, we have a hard time imagining how voters will see him as the NBA MVP, though it’s been done before. Missing roughly a month of action won’t help, but now that he’s on the Lakers, Doncic will have a lot more eyeballs watching his every move. Unfortunately, his MVP candidacy is dead due to missing too many games this season.
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9. Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks
Can Anthony Davis stay healthy? That’s the biggest question as he plays into his age-31 season. Yet he did play 76 out of 82 games last season and had very impressive numbers with 24.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. He’s off to an even stronger start even after getting traded to the Mavericks, averaging 25.7 PPG and 12 RPG while blocking 2.2 shots per game. If that level of play continues, you can bet he’ll be in the mix to win MVP, but the Mavericks would need to have a better record too.
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8. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
He bowed out of the All-Star game, but LeBron is still putting up strong numbers, averaging over 24 points per game, over eight assists, and nearly eight rebounds per contest. Plus, he’s shooting over 39% from distance. Plus, the Lakers are back to being a top contenders in the Western Conference. Yet, he’s likely not coming close to winning an MVP award this year.
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7. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
After proving that the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the Western Conference, Anthony Edwards is motivated to show he can be the face of the NBA. Already one of the top two-way players in the league, Edwards still has to take another big leap to merit this award. Having improved every year, we wouldn’t put it past him to become a more efficient scorer who learns to limit his turnovers, but it hasn’t quite happened yet. However, he has become the NBA’s best 3-point shooter, making more shots from long distances than anyone else in the league.
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6. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Even though his individual numbers don’t pop off the page, Donovan Mitchell deserves extra credit for leading the team with the Eastern Conference’s best record. Mitchell is shooting a career-high 39.5% from distance. Mitchell can stay in the MVP conversation if the Cavaliers stay in first place all season long.
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5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum can relax a bit now that he got his NBA Championship. But will he ever be in the top three of the NBA’s best players from a production standpoint? Maybe not, especially while working in such a smooth tandem with Jaylen Brown. Odds are Tatum doesn’t care about the MVP hardware, he wants more rings. However, he’ll still be in the mix to win his first MVP.
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4. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
He’s never been mentioned as an NBA MVP candidate before, but since arriving in the massive media landscape of New York, Karl-Anthony Towns has emerged as an even more popular player. He’s been excellent in his second stint under Tom Thibodeau, averaging 24.8 PPG and 13.5 RPG while shooting a blistering 43.2% from distance. Can he maintain this play when the postseason tips off?
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3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Even though the Bucks haven’t taken a significant step forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo is still putting up big numbers, averaging a career-high 31 PPG while having 12 rebounds per contest too. Yet, unless the Bucks can get back to being top contenders, the Greek Freak’s chances of winning MVP are slim, especially because he’s not on track to play 70% of the team’s games.
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2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
No one puts up numbers like Nikola Jokic. He may not be the league’s top scorer, but Jokic is an incredibly efficient player who has somehow come close to averaging a triple-double each of the past two seasons. With three awards already on his shelf, of course Jokic is a top 2025 NBA MVP candidate again. He’s here thanks to averaging 29.2 PPG, 12.6 RPG, plus 10.4 APG. Can he average a triple-double all year? Doing so would definitely keep him at the forefront of the MVP conversation.
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1. NBA MVP – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a gigantic leap last season, and so did the Oklahoma City Thunder. SGA is in the top five in scoring for the third consecutive season, but this year, he’s also flirting with multiple career highs, including scoring, assists, and effective field goal percentage. Also averaging 2.9 stocks per game, Gilgeous-Alexander remains one of the best all-around players in the NBA, and now he could win his first MVP award.
