LeBron James is hands-down the best player of this generation but he has “only” won four NBA MVP awards in his career. LeBron currently trails Michael Jordan for MVPs won, as Jordan captured the award five times. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won it a record six times.
LeBron has the Lakers in contention in his first year in Los Angeles as the team has a 17-10 record and is just a game out for the top spot in the Western Conference. Given that the Lakers were lottery-dwellers last season, one would think LeBron would be atop the MVP standings.
However, there is a boatload of competition at the top this year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the Bucks in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with an 18-9 mark, and Kawhi Leonard has the Raptors with the league’s best record at 23-7 in his first season in a new locale.
The best value bet right now to win MVP has got to be Kawhi as the Raptors star is +750 at FanDuel Sportsbook and +700 at 888 Sport Sportsbook.
Here is a full list of candidates with up-to-date futures odds from FanDuel Sportsbook and 888 Sport Sportsbook.
Giannis Antetokounmpo +240
LeBron James +460
Anthony Davis +500
Stephen Curry +600
Kawhi Leonard +750
Kevin Durant +1000
Joel Embiid +1100
James Harden +1500
Russell Westbrook +3200
Kemba Walker +5000
Kyrie Irving +5000
Nikola Jocic +5000
Damien Lillard +6000
Ben Simmons +7500
Victor Oladipo +7500
DeMar DeRozan +9500
Nikola Vucevic +9500
Andre Drummond +10000
Giannis Antetokounmpo +250
LeBron James +300
Stephen Curry +500
Anthony Davis +500
Kawhi Leonard +700
Joel Embiid +900
Kevin Durant +1000
James Harden +1000
Russell Westbrook +1600
Nikola Jokic +2500
Blake Griffin +3000
Ben Simmons +3000
Kemba Walker +3000
Kyrie Irving +4000