NBA MVP Award Betting
Betting on the NBA MVP award is a great way to stay involved in the NBA season and keep track of the best players in the league over the regular season. The NBA MVP Award is the most prestigious award that the NBA can give out on a yearly basis, perhaps only matched in grandeur by the NBA Finals MVP award. The NBA MVP award is the recognition that, during the regular season, a given player was the best in the league.
MVP award betting doesn’t always go as planned. There are some famous MVP snubs (each of Steve Nash’s MVP wins arguably snubbed a more deserving player), but on the whole, looking through the MVP list can give you a real sense of where the league is at and what happened in the league over time. Upsets are sure to occur, but the state of sports media and opinion is becoming quite homogenized, to the point that the first unanimous MVP was elected only a few years ago with Steph Curry.
2024 NBA MVP Odds
With the 2022 award going to Nikola Jokic as an end-of-season shift, the big man from Denver won the award in two consecutive years, springing Joel Embiid to centerstage, who won in 2023. The odds for the 2024 winner were released during the offseason, with Luka Doncic favored (again) to start the season.
April 2024 NBA MVP Betting Odds
- Nikola Jokic-2500
- Luka Doncic+2500
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander+5000
USA Online Sportsbooks
U.S.A. Sportsbook Reviews
Why Bet On The NBA MVP?
Betting on the NBA MVP increases the betting potential for NBA fans. It is one thing to take action on which team will win the NBA title, but the MVP could actually turn a larger profit as this result is more unpredictable. The NBA MVP is a narrative award and the winner is usually not the player that opens the season as the favorite. The two most recent MVPs went to Nikola Jokic and in both seasons Luka Doncic was favored in the preseason. This leads to a lot of longshot payouts consistently. It is also less risky to bet on a single player versus wagering on a team to win it all in the end. The same long odds fans can find on their favorite team winning the chip can be found on a player winning the MVP and that player may have a better shot.
Benefits Of Betting On The NBA MVP Early
The odds to win the NBA MVP award are released by online sportsbooks shortly after the end of the season prior which gives you a great opportunity to get in on these odds as early as possible. The main benefit of betting on the MVP odds early is that you can get the most out of your potential payout. Players odds to win the MVP shift all throughout the year until the winner is decided and if you wait too long, the value of the odds goes down. In short, getting in on these odds early can ensure you the biggest payout possible.
Past MVP’s By Position
Many might think that the MVP award is dominated by the point guard position, however, it is actually centers who have won the most MVP awards historically. In recent years, the game has trended towards smaller players, but one could argue that the last three MVP awards - and perhaps this season's one - will go to bigs.
| Year: | Player: |
|---|---|
| Center | 28 |
| Power Forward | 12 |
| Small Forward | 11 |
| Shooting Guard | 8 |
| Point Guard | 8 |
Whether it’s the beginning of the season, or almost near the end, Bovada has future odds for the Finals winner, conference champions, and player awards, including the regular season MVP. As the best players case builds stronger, Bovada will adjust the odds so there is typically a higher potential payout for bettors who use Bovada easier in the season for this bet type.
While BetOnline does have odds for regular season MVP, they also have odds for every single regular season game, and postseason action. With BetOnline, bettors can wager on their favorite player, team, or any outcomes that they like the odds of.
As one of the newer online books in the game, MyBookie has odds for future events in sports and within the entertainment industry. They have betting opportunities for awards season like the Oscars, as well as NBA action, like the NBA regular season MVP, and finals MVP.
NBA MVP Winners
Many of the greatest players in the league have won the NBA MVP award. Below, you can find a list of every NBA MVP winner, organized by year. For those with multiple awards, their total number of times winning the coveted award is in parenthesis right next to their name. Note how common winning back-to-back NBA MVP awards has become.
- 2021-2022 Nikola Jokic
- 2020-21 Nikola Jokic
- 2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 2018–19 Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 2017–18 James Harden
- 2016–17 Russell Westbrook
- 2015–16 Stephen Curry
- 2014–15 Stephen Curry
- 2013–14 Kevin Durant
- 2012–13 LeBron James (4)
- 2011–12 LeBron James (3)
- 2010–11 Derrick Rose
- 2009–10 LeBron James (2)
- 2008–09 LeBron James
- 2007–08 Kobe Bryant
- 2006–07 Dirk Nowitzki
- 2005–06 Steve Nash
- 2004–05 Steve Nash
- 2003–04 Kevin Garnett
- 2002–03 Tim Duncan
- 2001–02 Tim Duncan
- 2000–01 Allen Iverson
- 1999–00 Shaquille O'Neal
- 1998–99 Karl Malone (2)
- 1997–98 Michael Jordan (5)
- 1996–97 Karl Malone
- 1995–96 Michael Jordan (4)
- 1994–95 David Robinson
- 1993–94 Hakeem Olajuwon
- 1992–93 Charles Barkley
- 1991–92 Michael Jordan (3)
- 1990–91 Michael Jordan (2)
- 1989–90 Magic Johnson (3)
- 1988–89 Magic Johnson (2)
- 1987–88 Michael Jordan
- 1986–87 Magic Johnson
- 1985–86 Larry Bird (3)
- 1984–85 Larry Bird (2)
- 1983–84 Larry Bird
- 1982–83 Moses Malone (3)
- 1981–82 Moses Malone (2)
- 1980–81 Julius Erving
- 1979–80 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6)
- 1978–79 Moses Malone
- 1977–78 Bill Walton
- 1976–77 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5)
- 1975–76 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4)
- 1974–75 Bob McAdoo
- 1973–74 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3)
- 1972-73 Dave Cowens (2)
- 1971-72 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2)
- 1970-71 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1)
- 1969–70 Willis Reed
- 1968–69 Wes Unseld
- 1967–68 Wilt Chamberlain (4)
- 1966–67 Wilt Chamberlain (3)
- 1965–66 Wilt Chamberlain (2)
- 1964–65 Bill Russell (5)
- 1963–64 Oscar Robertson
- 1962–63 Bill Russell (4)
- 1961–62 Bill Russell (3)
- 1960–61 Bill Russell (2)
- 1959–60 Wilt Chamberlain
- 1958–59 Bob Pettit (2)
- 1957–58 Bill Russell
- 1956–57 Bob Cousy
- 1955–56 Bob Pettit
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most MVP Awards in history, with six, a record not likely to be broken any time soon. The currently active player with the most MVP awards is LeBron James, who has four, although some might argue he was snubbed in years when he was clearly the best player in the league. Similarly, Karl Malone’s winning of the MVP over Michael Jordan immediately preceded Jordan winning his fifth championship – over Malone’s Utah Jazz.