NBA MVP Odds – Betting Lines & Live Odds
NBA Most Valuable Player odds are open all year long. Sportsbooks release odds on a wide group of players during the offseason, but the list of true favorites narrows substantially as the season progresses. Odds change based on performance, injuries and other factors. But regardless of how they change, you lock in the current posted odds when you place your NBA MVP bet.
Here’s how to bet on the NBA MVP award online, complete with current odds at Maryland online sportsbooks, how the voting works, and the latest MVP trends.
Latest NBA MVP odds
Check the current NBA MVP betting odds for 2024-25 below from the top online sportsbooks in Maryland. Click on any odds to go directly to the Maryland online sports betting site to make a bet. When you do, you will also be able to access the best Maryland sports betting promos on offer.
Washington Wizards NBA MVP candidates
The Washington Wizards had a rough 2023-24 in which they ended the season 15-67, only one game better than the league-worst Detroit Pistons. There were a couple of bright spots, however, in Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, the team’s best prospects at the moment to make an All-Star team or receive MVP consideration.
Kyle Kuzma MVP odds
Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards in scoring during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 22.2 pts. a game and playing a big role in keeping the team in games. With five years now under his belt, the forward’s game continues to improve. During the season, look below for updated Kuzma MVP odds.
Jordan Poole MVP odds
After playing an important role on the Golden State Warriors‘ 2022 championship team, Jordan Poole has been one of the Wizards top performers since coming to Washington. In 2023-24, Poole averaged 17.4 points and 4.4 assists per game. Once the 2024-25 campaign gets underway, look below for updated Kuzma MVP odds.
How NBA MVP bets work
As a typical futures betting market, NBA MVP odds show the contenders to win the award all year long. Sportsbooks set the odds during the offseason, and they can change ahead of the start of the regular season based on things like injuries and any relevant news.
Once the regular season tips off, the odds change even more regularly, based on player performance and the top contenders’ perceived chances of winning. You can bet on your favorite to win at any time. You place your bet at the currently posted moneyline odds. If your player wins, you get paid at those odds, no matter how much the odds change going forward.
For example, Nikola Jokic was the clear favorite to win the 2023-24 MVP race late in the season. The odds on Jokic winning sat at around -200 in early March. That meant those who then bet $200 on Jokic at those odds received a total payout of $100 when he won the MVP in June. It also meant those who bet on Jokic earlier in the season, when he wasn’t such a clear favorite, received a larger payout.
By the time the season ended in early April, though, Jokic’s odds shifted dramatically to -4000 and -5000 at many sportsbooks. When the odds are -4000, you have to bet $4,000 just to win $100, hardly the attractive wager betting on Jokic was earlier.
NBA MVP betting trends
There have been trends to consider when it comes to NBA Most Valuable Player voting. Often voters will vote for the best player on the team with the highest winning percentage. That was true six out of eight years from 2011-12 to 2019-20.
Meanwhile, none of the last four MVP winners — Jokic three times and Joel Embiid once — played for the winningest team, but in each case their team was near the top of the NBA in wins.
Putting up big stats, especially a high scoring percentage, is often correlated to a player earning NBA MVP votes. Five of the last 11 MVP winners were also the scoring champ for the year.
Recent NBA MVP winners
Here are the NBA’s MVP winners over the past 10 years:
Year | Player | Position | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Nikola Jokic | C | Denver Nuggets |
2023 | Joel Embiid | C | Philadelphia 76ers |
2022 | Nikola Jokic | C | Denver Nuggets |
2021 | Nikola Jokic | C | Denver Nuggets |
2020 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | PF | Milwaukee Bucks (2) |
2019 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | PF | Milwaukee Bucks |
2018 | James Harden | PG | Houston Rockets |
2017 | Russell Westbrook | PG | Oklahoma City Thunder |
2016 | Stephen Curry | PG | Golden State Warriors (2) |
2015 | Stephen Curry | PG | Golden State Warriors |
Other NBA futures odds
In addition to the MVP award, here are some additional NBA futures bets you may potentially find at top Maryland sportsbooks apps, including FanDuel Maryland, DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook Maryland:
- Team win totals
- Division winners
- Teams to make the NBA playoffs
- Conference winners
- NBA Finals winner odds
- Rookie of the Year award
- Most Improved Player award
- Defensive Player of the Year award
- Sixth Man of the Year award
NBA MVP FAQ
A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters votes on who will win the award. Plus, fans can be part of casting a single collective ballot online. Ballots award descending points to the top five candidates: 10 points for first, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth. The player with the most total points from all ballots wins the MVP.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with six MVPs (1971, 1972 and 1974 with the Milwaukee Bucks and 1976, 1977 and 1980 with the Los Angeles Lakers). Abdul-Jabbar also was on six title-winning teams throughout his career and was twice named the NBA Finals MVP. The team with the most MVPs in its history is the Boston Celtics, with 10.
There have been relatively few issues with the NBA MVP award over the years. It has mostly gone to the best player on the best team or players who have had historically great seasons. You probably have to go back to Steve Nash’s 2004-05 award to find an argument for anyone other than the actual winner. Nash averaged only 15.5 points per game that year, much lower than teammate Amare Stoudemire’s 26.9. Plus, Shaquille O’Neal led Miami to the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 22.9 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Michael Jordan dominated the NBA in the 1991-92 season. He led the league in scoring and led the Chicago Bulls to 67 wins, easily the league’s best record. Averages of 30.1 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, 6.1 assists per game and 2.3 steals per game make Jordan’s 1991-92 season one of the best ever.
Steve Nash’s scoring was up in his second of back-to-back MVP awards, but just 18.8 points per game, 10.5 assists per game and 4.2 rebounds per game are hardly numbers that scream MVP. The Suns were also third in the NBA that year, which means the best player on the best team did not win the MVP.