What an NBA MVP race that lies ahead.
Let’s see the early-season odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 17.
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2026-27 NBA MVP Winner
What To Know: Is this the year Wemby wins MVP and an NBA title? He got close to the latter last year, making it all the way to the NBA Finals before falling to the Knicks in five games. Assuming he’s healthy, Wembanyama will likely win Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Only three players in NBA history have won MVP and DPOY in the same year: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What To Know: The two-time reigning MVP will begin the season in the running once again. In 2024-25, he averaged 32.7 points on 51.9% shooting and the Thunder had the best record in the league. Last season, he averaged 31.1 points on 55.3% shooting and the Thunder once again had the best record in the league. It seems the formula for SGA is to score a lot of points and win. What’s to stop him from doing that again this season?
What To Know: Somewhat shockingly, Dončić has never finished even second in MVP voting. His best finish was third back in the 2022-23 season, when he was still a member of the Mavericks. This past season, he led the NBA in scoring (33.5), and also put up 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. Now that LeBron James is out of L.A., and the franchise officially belongs to Dončić, can he take those stats and the Lakers to new heights?
What To Know: Jokić is a three-time winner, but what’s arguably more impressive is that over the last six years, he’s either won the award or finished second. Last season, he became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds (12.9) and assists (10.7), and also averaged a triple-double for the second consecutive season. However, even though it’s a regular-season award, Jokić’s Nuggets finished third in the West and lost in the first round to a hobbled Wolves team. Did that possibly have an impact on his candidacy?
What To Know: Tatum, similar to Dončić, now has his own franchise, after the Celtics shipped Jaylen Brown to the Sixers this offseason. Miraculously, he played in 16 regular-season games and six playoff games last season, after tearing his Achilles during the 2024-25 NBA playoffs. What can a fully healthy Tatum pull off this season?
What To Know: A familiar MVP face in a new place. The Greek Freak was a two-time MVP in Milwaukee, and as mentioned above, one of three players to win MVP and DPOY in the same season (2019-20). He now takes his talents to South Beach looking for a career revival, after playing in just 36 games last season and only appearing in the playoffs once in the past three seasons.
