- Nikola Jokic (+400) is favored to win his third Most Valuable Player trophy in 2024
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600) and Jayson Tatum (+800) are contenders for the award
- Only one player over age 30 has won NBA MVP in the past 24 years
Sportswriters will have to wash the egg off their face before casting their vote for the 2024 NBA MVP next spring. Last year’s anointing of Joel Embiid did not age well as the Cameroon center was knocked out of the postseason early. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic led his Nuggets to the franchise’s first-ever championship with a dominant playoff run.
Before we examine the 2024 NBA MVP award futures, be sure to check out the 2023 NBA Draft Betting Odds and our guide to betting on NBA basketball.
2023-24 NBA Regular Season MVP
| Player |  |
 |
 |
| Nikola Jokic | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Luka Doncic | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Joel Embiid | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Jayson Tatum | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Kevin Durant | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Stephen Curry | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Devin Booker | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| LeBron James | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Trae Young | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Damian Lillard | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| De’Aaron Fox | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Donovan Mitchell | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Anthony Davis | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Kawhi Leonard | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Zion Williamson | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Anthony Edwards | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Brandon Ingram | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Kyrie Irving | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
Jokic opens as the favorite
Nikola Jokic (+400) is favored to win his third NBA MVP award in four seasons. The Serbian superstar fell just short of averaging a triple-double (30 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists) in Denver’s first-ever championship run.
Just the 11th player in NBA history to capture at least two regular-season MVP awards, a championship and a NBA Finals MVP, Jokic is only 28 years old and has stayed healthy throughout his career.
Nikola Jokic is taking home the award for the ESPYS Best NBA Player 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6Q914mWGlA
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 11, 2023
Ignore the aging stars?
Kevin Durant (+1400), Stephen Curry (+1400) and LeBron James (+2200) are all longshots to win the award despite winning seven MVPs between them. That’s because all three will be over 35 next season.
While Karl Malone claimed the trophy at that age in 1999, there’s only been one player over age 30 to win MVP in the quarter-century since. Steve Nash, who won back-to-back awards in 2005 and 2006 at age 30 and 31.
Fade these top MVP contenders
Luka Doncic (+550) was the preseason MVP favorite in each of the past three years. While the prodigious talent is still just 24 years old, his award chances are still hindered by a terrible Mavericks team that missed the playoffs in 2022. Since 1985, only five MVP winners have come from a team that didn’t finish first or second in its conference.
While 13 different players have claimed the hardware in two (or more) years in a row, Joel Embiid (+700) has almost zero chance of repeating after last year’s embarrassing playoff effort. His Sixers are also sure to be worse when James Harden leaves town.
Giannis Anterokounmpo https://t.co/6ifxwoavEz
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) July 12, 2023
Best Longshots
As still-ascending stars, Devin Booker (+1800) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+1800) are strong longshots. If Kevin Durant gets injured again and the Suns stay in the mix atop the Western Conference, the 26-year-old Booker will be considered.
Still just 25, SGA was named first-team All-NBA last year after averaging a career-high 31 points per game. His candidacy likely hinges on if his young Oklahoma City team can make the jump into contender status with the arrival of Chet Holmgren.
Best Bet
While we like Jayson Tatum (+800), the Greek Freak is our favorite bet on the board.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600), like Jokic, is a two-time Most Valuable Player (2019, 2020) and still very much in his prime at age 28. Last season, he became the first player to average at least 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists per game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1973.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
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