The NBA MVP race for the 2025-26 season is set to unfold with narratives that stretch across every corner of the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks to defend his crown after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a championship, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic aims to reclaim it, while Luka Doncic enters his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside LeBron James.
The last decade has produced some of the most memorable MVP battles in NBA history, including Stephen Curry dominating the 2015 race, Giannis Antetokounmpo going head-to-head with LeBron for the 2020 crown, and James Harden finally claiming the accolade in 2018.
While last season saw Gilgeous-Alexander edge out Jokic in a tight battle, both are expected to be in the mix again, though the field could be deeper than it initially appears with several dark-horse candidates poised to emerge.
Availability will be crucial. To be considered for MVP and other major awards, players must play at least 65 games, a rule the NBA introduced in the 2023-24 season, making staying healthy just as important as performing well.
Team success will also play a part. In the last five decades, only three players have been named MVP for a season in which their team failed to win at least 50 regular season games. Those include Moses Malone (1978-79 and 1981-82), Russell Westbrook (2016-17) and Jokic (2021-22).
Last season, the Thunder winning 68 games – the most of any NBA team and 18 more than the Nuggets – was not necessarily the deciding factor in the MVP race, but it resulted in Gilgeous-Alexander claiming the crown over Jokic.
With the new NBA season approaching, here are 10 players poised to make a strong case for MVP in 2025-26.
10 Paolo Banchero
Orlando Magic
Paolo Banchero is a force in the league waiting to be unleashed. The Orlando Magic forward registered career highs in scoring (25.9 PPG) and rebounds (7.5 RPG) in 2024-25, despite seeing his season disrupted early with a torn oblique.
Banchero’s strong post-All Star stretch saw him show a significant improvement in shooting, including 33.3% from three and 58.3% true shooting, and finally helped him shed the label of being an ‘empty stats’ creator.
With Desmond Bane joining the Magic this offseason, Banchero will have a reliable perimeter shooter and playmaker alongside him, which should further boost his efficiency and potentially position him as an outside MVP contender.
9 Donovan Mitchell
Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell was having his career-best season in 2024-25 before injuring his knee in February, at which point he was averaging 28 points and 6.2 assists while helping the Cavaliers emerge as strong contenders in the Eastern Conference.
While the injury robbed him of some of the explosiveness that made him a surprise MVP contender early in the season, his dip in numbers from March onwards was still enough to earn him First-Team All-NBA honors.
With the Cavaliers expected to win plenty of regular season games again, Mitchell could once more feature in early MVP conversations, provided he stays healthy and remains a central part of their offence.
8 Cade Cunningham
Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham took a significant leap last season. He carried the Detroit Pistons to their first playoff win in 17 years and was one of only two players in the NBA to average 26+ points and 9+ assists, alongside three-time MVP winner Jokic.
He also earned his first All-Star nod and was named to the All-NBA Third Team after helping the Pistons to a 44-38 record and their first playoff berth since 2019.
If he can cut down on turnovers and improve on his 36% three-point shooting from 2024-25, Cunningham could move closer to the MVP conversation, after finishing tied-seventh in the voting last season.
7 Jalen Brunson
New York Knicks
With both Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton out with torn Achilles tendons, this could be the year of Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years last season.
If the Knicks can claim the No. 1 seed and Brunson continues to be the engine of their offence, it is hard not to imagine him entering the MVP conversation at some point during the season.
Brunson ranked eighth in both points (26.0 PPG) and assists (7.3 APG) in the league last season and earned the Clutch Player of the Year award, receiving 70 of 100 first-place votes.
6 Anthony Edwards
Minnesota Timberwolves
Last season saw Anthony Edwards emerge as the unquestioned leader of the Timberwolves, who reached the Western Conference Finals for a second straight year, losing 4-1 to the Thunder.
In what was the most efficient scoring season of his career, Edwards also developed into one of the league’s top three-point shooters, making 320 triples – more than any other player – while leading the NBA in attempts.
With back-to-back top-7 MVP finishes and a career-best shooting season, Edwards has the tools and credentials to be in the MVP conversation again, provided the Timberwolves remain contenders in the West.
5 Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio Spurs
Victor Wembanyama looked set to dominate the NBA in 2024-25 before a blood clot in his shoulder cut his season short, costing him a likely Defensive Player of the Year award.
Even in his shortened second season, playing just 46 games, Wembanyama proved he is already the league’s premier defender and continued to evolve offensively, averaging 24.3 points with improved shooting from the field.
After seeing only five games of them together last season, Spurs fans are excited to see where Wembanyama’s partnership with De’Aaron Fox could take the team, and if the duo clicks, the Frenchman could emerge as a serious MVP contender.
4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks
Two-time MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo’s case for a third title rests on whether he can turn the Milwaukee Bucks into serious contenders in the East again post the Damian Lillard experiment.
The offseason saw the Bucks surprisingly waive Lillard and stretch the remaining $113 million on his contract in order to acquire Myles Turner, while they also re-signed Kevin Porter Jr, Gary Trent Jr and added Cole Anthony.
If Milwaukee can emerge as a top team again, Giannis will certainly be a driving force behind that, carrying the offence, anchoring the defence and putting himself in strong contention for another MVP with his all-around dominance.
3 Luka Doncic
Los Angeles Lakers
Luka Doncic is ready to prove Nico Harrison wrong for trading him from the Dallas Mavericks, and the Slovenian superstar already made headlines this offseason by debuting a slimmer, more athletic physique ahead of his first full season as a Los Angeles Laker.
With LeBron James nearing 41 and expected to take a secondary role, Doncic is poised for a career-defining campaign, during which his availability and leadership will be key to the Lakers’ success.
If Doncic can make the Lakers at least outside contenders in the West, supported by offseason arrivals Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, he could make a compelling MVP case.
2 Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets
With exciting offseason additions like Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr, the Denver Nuggets have provided Nikola Jokic with another championship-caliber supporting cast.
After falling 4-3 to the eventual champions Thunder in the Conference Finals last season, the Nuggets are poised to contend once more, with Jokic again set to be the focal point on both ends of the floor and orchestrate the offence with his elite basketball IQ.
If he stays healthy and continues his high-level production, there is little doubt Jokic will remain the most impactful player in the league and mount another dominant MVP campaign.
1 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander solidified his status as one of the league’s most dominant and versatile players and delivered a historic year.
He became the first player in NBA history to win a scoring title, regular season MVP, conference finals MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.
Additionally, his 32.7 points per game were the highest in history for a player who also won a championship that season, while he finished second in steals with 131 over 76 games.