The NBA will announce the winner of the Most Valuable Player award on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, just before the start of Game 7 of the Cavaliers–Pistons series, the league office announced (via Twitter).
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are the three finalists for the award.
Gilgeous-Alexander, last season’s Most Valuable Player, averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 68 regular season contests while leading the Thunder to a league-high 64 victories. He shot a career-best 55.3% from the field.
Jokic is seeking his fourth career MVP. The Nuggets center averaged a triple-double for the second consecutive season with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and a career-high 10.7 assists in 70 games.
Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks in 64 regular season games. He was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year last month. The Spurs center would be the first French player to claim the MVP trophy.
The Spurs will face the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, beginning on Monday, and the scheduling announcement hints that SGA could be the winner, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press notes. Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was announced as the winner on May 21, and he was formally presented with the trophy before Game 2 of the conference finals in Oklahoma City the following day.
That’s silly to suggest it’s a hint. They want to announce before the finals – regardless of who is winning. Not saying it won’t be SGA just not a hint.
Jokic has the best numbers but is no longer the leagues chosen one.
He obviously has the better numbers but MVP has become a team award so Jokic is taxed for losing more than okc
Jokic won 2 MVPs when his team was not very good. The MVP conversation has shifted since.
The announcement is merely confirming what has already been known for months, given the straw polls of the voters having been discussed multiple times.
(Yawn)
Really unfortunate it’s not going to Jokic. As much as I don’t like him, his numbers are historic.
Should be: Joker
Will be: SGA
Wemby winning every MVP after this season: likely
It also could “suggest” Wemby since they’re both playing that day.
Jokic should win it but I doubt they give it to him.
Wenby is clearly, hands down the most valuable player in all the most effective metrics which affect winning games. SGA gets mentioned because he plays on a championship team, as he’s not the leagues top scorer. Case is closed after that! 🙈🙊🙉
OKC is equally as good a team if you swapped out SGA for Brandin Podziemski.
nope.