One of the most fascinating aspects of this past NBA season was the MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. SGA ended up on top after leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to the top seed in the West, snagging his first MVP while preventing the Joker from winning his third.
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Though the season hasn’t started, it’s not too early to think about the 2025-2026 MVP. The Club 520 podcast dove in headfirst into who they think will reign supreme this time.
The discussion was sparked by Luka Doncic’s recent slimmed-down appearance on the cover of Men’s Health. A shredded Luka in his first full season as a Laker is indeed a scary proposition for the rest of the league, but Jeff Teague believes his ex-teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo will overwhelm voters with the sheer power of his stats.
“I got Giannis winning MVP,” Teague said. When his cohosts reacted skeptically, he responded, “S*** watch! This [is] about to be Giannis’ best year … Nobody on his team, he [is] about to carry so crazy. He might average 34, 13 and 8.”
The Bucks shocked the NBA when they waived Damian Lillard this summer. Lillard was set to miss most or all of next season with the torn Achilles he suffered in the playoffs, but in his place, they signed Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract. Turner isn’t a ball-dominant player like Dame, though, which should give Giannis the opportunity to increase his already prodigious stats.
The Bucks also signed Cole Anthony, but Teague believes that won’t preclude Giannis from handling the ball even more. “This boy [is] about to run point guard basically. His stats [are] about to be crazy,” Teague said.
One thing Teague’s cohosts believe could keep Giannis from winning his third MVP is that the Bucks won’t win enough games. The same could be said for Luka’s candidacy, but whereas the Bucks get to play in the vastly inferior Eastern Conference, the Lakers are stuck out West. There’s a real chance the Bucks take more wins than LA, whether they’re a better team or not.
Luka chasing his first MVP while Giannis tries to get his third could mirror what we saw from SGA and Jokic this past year, with the added wrinkle that those two will both be very much in the mix to win again. It’s going to be a fascinating race. Giannis’ world-class defense could be the X-factor that ultimately gives him the edge.
Teague may be biased, but if we go by the strictest definition of most “valuable” player, Giannis will have a uniquely strong argument if he is able to carry his Bucks to contention. SGA has a championship team around him. Jokic’s Nuggets added Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown. Luka will be playing next to LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton.
As long as each of these guys stays healthy, this MVP race could be one of the best we’ve ever seen.
