Before he erupted a handful of times and elevated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference and made a stirring case for higher inclusion in the Kia Race to the MVP chase, Brown was best known for: Winning NBA Finals MVP (a fairly historical award).

With the calendar turning to the New Year, the NBA MVP race is starting to take real shape. Contenders are separating themselves, storylines are forming, and sportsbooks are adjusting quickly based on performances and team success.

The NBA is ripe with 30-point-per-game scorers this season, but standing above all of them in the first half of the NBA season is Luka Doncic. His 32 points per game not only lead the league, his 8.8 assists per game rank fourth and his eight rebounds per game also rank 25th.

Nikola Jokic owns the to spot in the NBA MVP rankings over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entering 2026 after his dominant Christmas performance.

Who are the favorites to win the Most Valuable Player award in 2025-26? Below, we provide the odds for the top contenders, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Learn more about the NBA on FOX Sports. FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

It would be a perfect world where Victor Wembanyama would be able to recover from injuries without worrying about his DPOY eligibility. Or fans could count on Stephen Curry to make an MVP case while the Warriors get to rest him.