The 2023 NBA MVP award will be announced during the playoffs. It’s been a hotly contested race all season. The three finalists have been announced, and they are all big men: Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and 76ers center Joel Embiid.
Two of the finalists have added the last four MVP awards. Jokic has won the award the past two seasons, while Antetokounmpo has won it in 2019 and 2020.
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Embiid has never won the award.
The guardsmen won all four MVP awards before Antetokounmpo and Jokic began the streak of big men claiming the honor.
What are the MVP odds?
Most sportsbooks have taken the odds since the votes were received and counted. The date of the announcement has not been announced.
As of March 22, Embiid was the light favorite at -200. Jokic was hot behind him at +260. Antetokounmpo was third at +250.
Jokic started the season slow but quickly became the favorite to win MVP before Embiid emerged late on. The Nuggets center went as low as -390 in some places to win the award in early March.
MVP award voters often let narratives be mixed with statistical data when voting for the winner. There is often voter fatigue when voters don’t award a player the honor because he already recently won it. LeBron James has only won MVP four times. Michael Jordan claimed the award five times. He won more championships (six) than MVP.
Many players have won two MVP trophies in a row. However, very few have won three in a row. That doesn’t bode well for reigning two-time MVP Jokic. The last player to win three MVP awards in a row was Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics in 1984-86.
Who will win the 2023 NBA MVP?
Embiid is likely to get his first MVP. Jokic won’t buck the trend of back-to-back winners failing to win a third in a row.
The Sixers center had a career season. He led the league in scoring with 33.1 points per game. He was also eighth in rebounding with 10.2 per game. He shot a solid 54.8% from the field and 85.7% from the free throw line. His field goal percentage was the 20th best in the league.
