NBA MVP Betting Guide, Trends and Winners

Welcome to our NBA MVP betting guide. If you want to learn everything there is to know about wagering on the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, we’ve got you covered.

NBA Bookies

Given since the 1955-56 season, the NBA MVP has been awarded to some of basketball’s greatest-ever players over the years. Due to the prestige of the award, the popularity of NBA MVP betting has skyrocketed in recent times.

How to Bet on the NBA MVP Award

The NBA Most Valuable Player Award is given to the league’s best player at the end of each season. Essentially, the recipient of the award is the player who is deemed to have produced the most outstanding performance during the regular season.

Voting for the award is conducted by a panel of high-profile sportswriters and broadcasters from across the United States and Canada. Each member of the panel casts a vote for first to fifth place, and each vote is worth a different value, as shown below.

• 1st – 10 points
• 2nd – 7 points
• 3rd – 5 points
• 4th – 3 points
• 5th – 1 point

The main NBA MVP betting market allows you to wager on the winner of the award. At the start of each season, the bookies will release their NBA MVP betting odds, enabling you to make your predictions.

On top of that, you will find other NBA MVP futures and props. Which division will produce the MVP winner? What position will the MVP winner play? These are just a couple of examples of other NBA MVP betting markets.

NBA Betting Lines

NBA MVP Betting Trends and Facts

Thankfully, there are lots of helpful NBA MVP betting trends to make use of. In this section of our NBA MVP betting guide, we highlight some of the most notable trends that bettors can – and should – utilize.

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6) has won the most NBA MVP awards, followed by Bill Russell (5), Michael Jordan (5), Wilt Chamberlain (4) and LeBron James (4).
• Since the award’s inception back in 1955, 15 players have scooped the prize on more than one occasion.
• The Boston Celtics (10) have produced the most NBA MVPs, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers (8), Philadelphia 76ers (7), Chicago Bulls (6), Milwaukee Bucks (5) and Houston Rockets (4).
• Only six non-Americans have won the award – Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Joel Embiid (Cameroon).
• The center (29) position has dominated the NBA MVP award over the years. The other winning positions are point guard (11), power forward (11), small forward (9) and shooting guard (8).
• It is also worth noting that back-to-back winners occur regularly. In 22 seasons between 2001-02 and 2022-23, the NBA MVP award was defended on seven occasions.

NBA Predictions

Past NBA MVP Winners

• 2022-23: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• 2021-22: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
• 2020-21: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
• 2019-20: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• 2018-19: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• 2017-18: James Harden, Houston Rockets
• 2016-17: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
• 2015-16: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• 2014-15: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• 2013-14: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Learn more about NBA awards betting in our guide explaining all of the major awards.