As the NBA prepares to announce its Most Valuable Player (MVP) award early in the second round of the playoffs, fans and analysts alike are debating one burning question: Is the frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokić?
Though the race is tighter than ever, a growing sentiment in the league suggests that Jokić might be denied his fourth MVP title—a feat that would put him ahead of NBA legends like Larry Bird.
In a confidential player poll conducted by The Athletic, 155 NBA players were asked who their MVP pick would be. The results were telling:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received 56.1% of first-place votes.
- Nikola Jokić garnered just 37.4%.
The outcome didn’t come as a major surprise to seasoned journalists Sam Amick and Josh Robbins, who noted that players cited Oklahoma City Thunder’s league-best 68–14 record and Shai’s elite scoring average of 32.7 points per game as key reasons behind their votes.
“While Jokić had arguably his best season yet—becoming only the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the season while leading the Nuggets to 50 wins—Shai’s enormous two-way impact in a 68-win season gave him the edge in the eyes of many,” the article stated.
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One anonymous player summed it up plainly:
“I’m giving it to Shai, just because it’s been Jokić these last few years.”
Another added:
“They’re both playing at an insane level. But it’s time to pass the torch to the next generation—and Shai is that generation.”
If Gilgeous-Alexander wins, he would become only the second Canadian to earn MVP honors, joining Steve Nash, who won it twice—though his second MVP remains a point of debate among fans and analysts.
Should Jokić clinch the award, he would tie LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain with four MVP trophies apiece. Only Michael Jordan and Bill Russell (five), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six) have more.
While the official result is still pending, the player vote underscores a broader narrative—Jokić may be having one of the greatest statistical seasons in league history, but perception and storyline often shape the MVP conversation as much as performance.
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