Anticipation is building as the league prepares to name the winner of the 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player award. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are considered top candidates for the honor.
The NBA Most Valuable Player award has been presented annually since the 1955-56 season. A panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters determines the recipient based on regular-season performance. The award was renamed after five-time NBA MVP Michael Jordan during the 2022-23 season. As of 2024, players must participate in at least 65 regular-season games to qualify for the award.Several players have captured multiple NBA MVP titles. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with six awards. Michael Jordan and Bill Russell each won five times. LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain both earned four NBA MVP awards during their careers. Nikola Jokic has won three NBA MVP awards.
This year's race features two players at different points in their careers. Jokic, already a three-time winner, turned 30 in February. Gilgeous-Alexander, at 26, is closer to the average age for past recipients of the NBA MVP award. The average age of winners sits just over 27 years old.
The award has seen winners range significantly in age. Karl Malone holds the mark for the oldest player to win, earning his second award at age 35 in the 1998-99 season.Derrick Rose is the youngest player to be named NBA MVP, receiving the honor at age 22 following the 2010-11 season. Wes Unseld had previously held the youngest winner record, earning the award at age 23 in 1969.
Franchises have also accumulated multiple MVP awards through their players. The Boston Celtics lead with 10 awards won by their players, including five by Bill Russell and three by Larry Bird. The Los Angeles Lakers are second with eight MVPs. The Philadelphia 76ers have had five different players win the award for the franchise.
Some players have won NBA MVP awards with more than one team. LeBron James won with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earned awards with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Moses Malone won his three MVPs while playing for the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers. Wilt Chamberlain also won with two Philadelphia-based franchises, the Warriors and the 76ers.
