NBA MVP Straw Poll 2.0: 100 League Insiders Vote on SGA, Jokic, and Other Top Stars

As the 2024-25 NBA season approaches, three strong candidates have surfaced for the league’s MVP award.

Nikola Jokić, who has claimed the MVP title in three of the last four seasons and is widely considered one of the most dominant players in basketball today, was a favored pick to join LeBron James and Bill Russell as the only players in league history to secure the award four times within five seasons.

Luka Dončić, who placed third in the 2024 MVP race before guiding the Dallas Mavericks on a surprising Finals run, appeared ready to become the next superstar to claim his first MVP award.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who narrowly surpassed Dončić for second place, began the season leading an Oklahoma City Thunder squad projected to contend for the top spot in the Western Conference—and has held that position since November 25.

Nikola Jokić, who has claimed the MVP award in three of the last four seasons and is arguably the most dominant player in basketball today, was a strong candidate to join LeBron James and Bill Russell as one of the only players in league history to win it four times within five seasons.

With other contenders across the league struggling to match the production and team success of these stars, the MVP race is shaping up as a battle between two players. ESPN’s second MVP straw poll of the 2024-25 season reveals a clear frontrunner as the All-Star break approaches.

Full NBA MVP straw poll results

Antetokounmpo’s MVP chances may ultimately depend on his health.

With Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić pulling ahead of the competition, it’s highly improbable that anyone else will secure this season’s MVP award—unless injury sidelines either star. The only player with even a remote chance of altering that outcome, Milwaukee Bucks big man and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, could see his hopes fade due to potential injuries.

The voting indicates a shift in the league’s power dynamics.

While we emphasized Jokic’s consistency, Tatum’s position in the polls is similarly notable. Since topping the first straw poll of the 2022-23 season, the Celtics superstar has consistently ranked between fourth and sixth in the last seven polls. This season, he secured a clear fourth place, receiving 65 fourth-place votes and 299 total points in this poll. No other player surpassed the 100-point threshold.

Tatum, who has never placed higher than fourth in actual MVP voting, could potentially break into the top three for the first time if Antetokounmpo becomes ineligible later this season.

Aside from Tatum, the major takeaway from this poll is the noticeable shift away from veteran superstars. Among the 14 players who received at least one vote, only Antetokounmpo and James are currently 30 or older (Jokic will turn 30 on Wednesday).

From Tatum to Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun in 14th place, six players—San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (eighth), Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (ninth), Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (10th), Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (12th), Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (13th), and Sengun—received votes at age 25 or younger.

This also marks the continuation of a trend where at least one of the NBA’s veteran stars—James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant—has been excluded from a poll, dating back to the final results of the 2021-22 season, when Curry was eighth, Durant ninth, and James 11th. The last time any of them were in the top three was the first poll of that season, with Curry and Durant ranking first and second.

Despite their continued excellence as individual players, it seems the trio’s days as legitimate MVP contenders are behind them.