By Every NBA season has its own story and the chase for the Most Valuable Player award typically becomes the epicenter of the tale.
The 2025-26 MVP race has everything: veterans and rookies, old adversaries and new threats. This year the league is stronger than ever before and the race promises drama from tip to final ballot with upstart stars and shifting team chemistry.
What Makes an MVP? The Formula Behind the Trophy
Winning the NBA’s top individual honor takes more than highlight-reel stats. It’s a mix of production, context and story. These are the ingredients that matter most:
- Elite numbers: Scoring, rebounding, assists and efficiency remain the backbone of any MVP case,
- Team success: Nearly every MVP in the past 20 years has come from a top-three seed and that underscores how much winning matters,
- Narrative power: Voters connect with stories of comebacks, breakthroughs or record-breaking seasons,
- Durability: A 65-game minimum means availability can make or break a candidate’s chances.
In 2025-26 these factors will collide to create one of the most competitive MVP races in recent memory.
Nikola Jokić: The Measure of Consistent Greatness
There is no player who better embodies consistency and supremacy than Nikola Jokić. The Denver Nuggets superstar enters this season chasing his fourth MVP; this feat that would place him with all-time giants like LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain.
Chasing a Fourth MVP
Jokić is carrying the steam of another incredible campaign, averaging a triple-double as he led Denver deep into the playoffs. His combination of otherworldly passing, scoring efficiency and basketball IQ remains unrivaled. With years of “voter fatigue,” most pundits believe that narrative hurdle is behind him now.
The Keys to His Campaign
For Jokić franchise success will be the top priority. If he guides the Nuggets to a top-three seed while maintaining his signature numbers of around 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game another MVP could be in his reach. His leadership abilities and consistent availability are the benchmark by which all other candidates are measured.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The Current MVP Looking to Repeat
Off an NBA championship and Finals MVP with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is charged with demonstrating last season was merely the beginning.
Establishing on a Championship Legacy
SGA’s rise has been dizzying. Not only is he a scorer but he’s also a rugged defender and vocal leader. With the Thunder ready to play again he’s in the perfect position to join the rarefied ranks of MVPs who have won back-to-back awards.
What He Needs to Do to Repeat
Gilgeous-Alexander will need to prove extended expansion with top-level efficiency against defenses that have their eyes squarely on him. The Thunder remaining in the top three of the West is crucial. Another extended postseason run would make his argument even stronger.
Early estimates and FanDuel NBA odds already indicate just how tight this contest is going to be, with Gilgeous-Alexander very much in the mix to repeat and open up a new era of Thunder dominance.
Luka Dončić: The Long-Awaited Breakthrough
Luka Dončić has long been on the cusp of MVP consideration without ever bringing home the hardware. This year may finally change that.
A New Chapter in Los Angeles
Now in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers Dončić has a new platform and a new script. With LeBron James sidelined Dončić has a head-start opportunity to lock himself into the team’s undisputed alpha role.
Breaking Down Previous Challenges
Sustainability will be critical. Dončić must get past the 65-game mark and maintain his productivity well into the season. Improvements in defensive dependability and leadership could serve to further boost his chances.
Dončić also owns commanding totals and handle percentages in MVP lines, a sign that faith in his breakout year is growing.
Dark Horses and Emerging Narratives
While Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander and Dončić take center stage a few other superstars could crash the party:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is never far from perennial contention if the Milwaukee Bucks get their way during the regular season.
- Victor Wembanyama has shown very rapid growth that could propel him into MVP status earlier than expected.
- Anthony Edwards after a breakout season could steal the show if Minnesota overachieves.
The MVP race is seldom stagnant. As the season progresses surprise surges and storylines often recast the leaderboard. Keeping current with changing NBA news and player trends can add important context to how these dark horses are redefining the conversation.
The Wild Cards That Could Shift the MVP Race
Every MVP race has something to do with something beyond a player’s control and 2025-26 will be no different. Considerations that should be watched are:
- Injuries and availability: Health can remake the landscape. Absences of stars like Jayson Tatum could make room for someone else and Dončić’s health could make his candidacy canonical,
- Team success: MVPs almost invariably come from top-three seeds, piling pressure on contenders like the Thunder, Nuggets and Lakers to deliver,
- Narrative shifts: Voter sentiment shifts. Gilgeous-Alexander can fight with fatigue, Jokić can be blessed with more respect and Dončić’s chase of a first MVP creates drama.
This contest also mirrors the expanding international presence of the NBA. Foreign NBA superstars continually define the league’s most prestigious honors.
A Race That Redefines Greatness
The 2025-26 MVP race is not just about a trophy. It’s a snapshot of how the NBA is moving toward increased parity, deeper talent and a more global identity.
This year’s contenders reflect the evolution of the league: Jokić’s consistent brilliance, Gilgeous-Alexander’s emergence as a new-era leader and Dončić’s quest for long-overdue recognition. Surrounding them a new generation is pressing to rewrite the definition of what an MVP is.
This race will set the terms of how we talk about greatness for years and presage the future faces of the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.
