Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is once again among the top names in the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) race.
The league announced its finalists for major awards on Sunday night. The Greek Freak joined Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic on the MVP shortlist. Analysts widely view Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander as the leading contenders.
Jokic, who won the award last season, is eyeing his fourth MVP honor in five years. Gilgeous-Alexander, this year’s league scoring champion, led the Thunder to 68 regular-season wins and helped the team set a new NBA record for scoring margin. It’s his first appearance as a serious MVP contender.
Oddsmakers signaled the narrowing race weeks before the season ended. By that point, BetMGM Sportsbook had effectively ruled out other candidates, placing Gilgeous-Alexander as the betting favorite and Jokic just behind him. No other player had odds better than 500-to-1.
Being named an MVP finalist also places a player in prime position for All-NBA First Team honors. With the All-NBA selection process now closely mirroring MVP voting, Antetokounmpo is expected to receive his ninth First Team nod. Jokic would collect his seventh, while Gilgeous-Alexander is on track for his third.
Last year’s MVP race also featured Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Luka Doncic, who has since moved from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2024-25 Finalists for Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. #KiaMVP
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Nikola Jokić pic.twitter.com/IX1MkV4hy5— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2025
A panel of NBA writers and broadcasters submitted their ballots for all awards last week. The league will announce the winners for MVP, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and other honors in the coming weeks.
In the Coach of the Year category, Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson, Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, and Houston’s Ime Udoka were named finalists.
Atkinson guided the Cavaliers to a 64-win season, the best record in the Eastern Conference. He also earned the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year award, a separate recognition voted on by fellow coaches.
Bickerstaff, in his first season with the Pistons, led the team to the playoffs after a long rebuilding phase. Udoka had a strong campaign as well, helping the Rockets secure the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Notably absent from the finalist list was last year’s winner, Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault, despite leading the Thunder to a league-best 68 wins.
On the defensive end, Dyson Daniels of Atlanta, Draymond Green of Golden State, and Evan Mobley of Cleveland emerged as the top three candidates for Defensive Player of the Year.
Daniels earned recognition for his high steal rate, while Mobley stood out with his disciplined rim defense. Green, a past winner in the 2016–17 season, seeks to claim the award for a second time.
Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, last season’s winner, holds four Defensive Player of the Year titles—tied for the most in NBA history alongside Hall of Famers Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama, who led the league in blocked shots, was seen as a strong candidate earlier in the season. However, a medical issue that sidelined him after the All-Star break removed him from consideration.
