Trent Reinsmith
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player awards in 2015 and 2016. Currently, in his 12th season in the NBA, the 33-year-old superstar was the early favorite to take home his third MVP. With his play in the early stages of the 2021-22 NBA season, Curry has pulled away from the rest of the MVP pack.
Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo follow Curry in the rankings. Durant, who played with Curry on the Golden State Warriors for three seasons, is currently leading the Brooklyn Nets. Durant has one MVP award to his name. He won the award in 2014 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 26-year-old Antetokounmpo, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, claimed the NBA MVP award in 2019 and 2020.
Curry finished third in the voting last season behind the 76ers Joel Embiid and winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
A panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters selects the NBA MVP. One vote from NBA fans goes toward the selection.
The winner of the NBA MVP award receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. Podoloff was the first NBA commissioner. He served from 1946 until he retired in 1963.
Be sure to check out the best NBA betting sites and our NBA MVP betting odds guide.
NBA MVP Odds
Steph Curry
Steph Curry is tied with Kevin Durant for the NBA scoring lead (28.6 points per game). The Golden State Warriors leader is also leading the NBA in free throw percentage with a 94.2 percent success rate. As for his trademark three-pointers, Curry leads the league in attempts at 13.1 per game and he lands 43.2 percent of those attempts.
I wouldn’t say that Curry is the only reason Golden State sits atop the NBA, but I would say that he is the single largest reason the Warriors are the top team in the league, especially with Klay Thompson and James Wiseman out of action.
Puttin' on a show in transition 💫 @StateFarm || Assist of the Night pic.twitter.com/MIXeTOKWio
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 29, 2021
If Curry can keep up the pace he’s on, or something close to it. He should be able to claim the MVP at the end of the year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
After a slow start, the Milwaukee Bucks are playing better as a team. The club is on a seven-game winning streak and has a record of 13-8, which is good enough to put them in second place in the Central Division. One thing that has been consistent for the Bucks this season has been the play of former MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo, who leads the team with 27 points per game, has been the club’s top scorer in all but four games this season.
Double-double machine
26 PTS | 13 REB | 3 AST | 1 BLK pic.twitter.com/s8VrU8A5BH
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 29, 2021
Sleeper
Devin Booker was +5500 to win the 2021-22 NBA MVP in the early days of the season. He’s made a big jump in the odds as we enter December. Booker leads the Phoenix Suns in scoring with an average of 23.9 points per game. Booker, at 25, is in the process of making the Suns his team. He might not win the MVP this season, but he will be in the conversation and he is a player who should get more attention than he is in the current MVP conversation.
Capped-off his Western Conference Player of the Week with a 30-point performance against the Nets!@DevinBook with the @efirstbank Money Drive of the Week pic.twitter.com/CDCn3dApuP
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 30, 2021
NBA MVP Pick
With the way Steph Curry is playing and the pace he is on, it’s hard to pick against him at this point of the NBA season.
See below the best online sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
