The MVP race was a hot conversation over the final month of the season, but it appears Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will easily win the award. A user on the popular NBA Reddit page created an MVP vote tracker to add to the count whenever a voter gives a public comment revealing their vote. Only 18 names have revealed their votes so far for a small sample size, but Gilgeous-Alexander has 14 of those 18 first place votes.
Current MVP votes revealed:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 14 first place votes, 3 second place votes, 0 third place votes
Nikola Jokic: 3 first place votes, 4 second place votes, 6 third place votes
Victor Wembanyama: 1 first place vote, 5 second place votes, 6 third place votes
The end of the season featured names like Victor Wembanyama and Luka Doncic picking up ground with Shai in terms of narratives and discussions. Nikola Jokic and Jaylen Brown were both mentioned throughout the season for their overall accolades.
So far, voters have overwhelmingly picked Gilgeous-Alexander as the clear cut first place option. Jokic and Wembanyama have received all of the other votes involving first, second, and third place voting. Many more votes are involved, but an early update sees Shai getting the most respect.
Other Names Getting Secondary Votes
Not every name to reveal their first place MVP pick has revealed their second or third place votes to make it a bit more confusing to follow. The first-place race is all that matters when looking at this chart and tracking the overall votes so far.
Brown, Doncic, and Kawhi Leonard are the other three names on the board referenced via fourth place or fifth place votes when picking their top five. Luka is not currently eligible for MVP or All-NBA votes due to playing 64 of the minimum 65 games needed to qualify.
However, Doncic’s agent making an appeal to the league could see that changing since he fell one game short and had unique situations preventing him from playing. This only impacts the later MVP votes since Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, and Wembanyama are expected to get all the first-place votes.
Shai Has Chance To Join Jordan & LeBron
Only two players in NBA history have won the NBA regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards in back-to-back seasons. LeBron James did this in 2012 and 2013 during his incredible run with the Miami Heat to cement himself as an all-time great.
Michael Jordan accomplished this feat in 1991 and 1992 during his first two NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls. Gilgeous-Alexander would be only the third player to join this list if he wins the MVP here and gets the Finals MVP for another Oklahoma City Thunder title run.
Anyone entering a list with the two universal picks for the greatest player in NBA history is reaching uncharted territory. The postseason becomes even more important for Shai once he’s announced as the regular MVP winner. Gilgeous-Alexander is on the precipice of making history and is crafting a Hall of Fame legacy at just 27 years old.
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