2026 is nearly here! And the New Year’s resolution for nearly every NBA player should be to win MVP. Unfortunately, only a select few really have the opportunity this year. Even worse, only one of them will actually win the award.

With the injury to Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the race is become ever slimmer. Anyone looking to cash in on the MVP will need to act fast, before the race becomes too obvious. When we get to the end of the year, there are usually only one or two players it could realistically be, skewing the odds to the point where it may not even be worth putting any money down. Already, the favorite for the award, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is sitting at -450 odds.

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Now is the time for action if you’re confident in your prediction powers. And if you’re looking for a gentle reminder as to who is likely to earn the hardware, here are the league’s top contenders heading into 2026.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic dribbles the basketball against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic dribbles the basketball against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center.

NBA MVP Rankings by odds

*All odds provided by BetMGM

The favorites

1) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC: -450

2) Luka Doncic, LAL: +375

The dark horses

3) Cade Cunningham, DET: +4000

4) Victor Wembanyama, SAS: +5000

5) Jalen Brunson, NYK: +6600

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The sleepers

6) Tyrese Maxey, PHI: +15000

7) Anthony Edwards, MIN: +20000

8) Jaylen Brown, BOS: +25000

The longshots

9) Donovan Mitchell, CLE: +50000

10) Stephen Curry, GS: +50000

11) Alperen Sengun, HOU: +100000

12) Kevin Durant, HOU: +100000

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking NBA players based on MVP odds