The NBA All-Star Game is just three weeks away. The best players in the world will gather together to play on the same court at the same time. However, only one of them can be the best in the world.
With Nikola Jokic’s injury earlier this year, this season’s MVP award race became Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s to lose. However, there are certainly some players nipping at his heels. With how well the Detroit Pistons have been playing, Cade Cunningham is quickly climbing up the ranks, and now has the third-best odds to win MVP, per BetMGM.
Of course, there are also some long shots to win the award. Golden State’s Stephen Curry is being forced to take on more of the offensive load for the Warriors after Jimmy Butler went down with a season-ending ACL injury. If Curry can up his offensive output, he could start really contending for the award, as well. Several others are one injury or a hot streak away from having their name in the conversation as well.
Here’s where every NBA MVP contender ranks as we approach the end of January. All odds via BetMGM.
2026 NBA MVP odds
The favorites
1) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC: -450
2) Luka Doncic, LAL: +900
3) Cade Cunningham, DET: +1000
This award is SGA’s to lose. The Thunder boast the best record in the NBA, but his MVP odds could certainly fall if the Thunder were to lose that honor. The Pistons are just 2.5 games back of the Thunder for the best record in the league, and Cunningham is the league leader in assists per game. SGA currently doesn’t lead in any category, with Doncic the only person averaging more points per game, so perhaps the Thunder’s record is the only thing keeping him atop these leaderboards.
The dark horse
4) Jaylen Brown, BOS: +2200
There is a massive drop-off in odds after Brown, which is why he is the only person in this tier. And honestly, he should be up at the top. Prior to this season, people were writing the Celtics off without Jayson Tatum. Brown has overdelivered in every sense of the word, yet all people can talk about is how good the Celtics will be when Tatum returns. The narrative surrounding Brown is what is keeping him out of the top-tier MVP conversations right now, and that’s a crying shame.
The underdogs
5) Anthony Edwards, MIN: +6000
6) Tyrese Maxey, PHI: +8000
7) Jalen Brunson, NYK: +10000
Among these players, Edwards leads all three in both points and rebounds. While the Minnesota Timberwolves certainly aren’t considered legitimate contenders in the Western Conference, Edwards has proven himself the most valuable to his team, statistically speaking.
There’s a case to be made for Maxey given how he has kept the Sixers in contention despite Joel Embiid only playing 25 games. However, as mentioned, Edwards has more points per game, more rebounds per game, and his team has a better record.
The long shots
8) Donovan Mitchell, CLE: +50000
9) Stephen Curry, GS: +50000
10) Kevin Durant, HOU: +100000
Mitchell wasn’t even named an All-Star starter. That’s no fault of his own. But it shows just how people view him currently, making his odds far worse than what is actually offered here. On the flip side, there is potential for Curry to make a run for his third MVP award. The big question is whether or not he can elevate the Warriors in the absence of Jimmy Butler. With Butler gone, Curry will need to shoulder even more of the team’s offensive load, making him arguably the most important player for his team’s success currently. If he can push the Warriors to the 4 or 5-seed in the West (the team only sits four games back of the 4-seed), then there’s a serious conversation to be had. Of course, even if he does that, he doesn’t really have the raw stats to compete with SGA or Doncic, but it’s fun to think about.
