NBA Most Valuable Player Betting Tips
The NBA Most Valuable Player award is an annual award given to the player considered to be the best basketball player in the entire National Basketball Association over the course of that season.
Many leading bookmakers offer customers the chance to back the biggest names in basketball for this award, with the market consistently updated throughout the entire NBA regular season.
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NBA Most Valuable Player Betting Tips
The NBA Most Valuable Player award goes to the best player in basketball, so it goes without saying that the league’s biggest stars will always be considered front-runners for the award.
However, there are some notable trends that could help you when selecting a player to back in this market.
Players that want to be MVP have to play a role in their team putting points on the board. Since the inception of the award back in the 50s, only three players have won it while averaging less than 17 points per game. And since 1969, only one player has managed that, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in 2005.
Sticking with the scoring theme, four of the last five Most Valuable Player awards have gone to the player who led the league in scoring that season. That is not a major surprise really – go on social media postgame and the player who scored the most points usually gets the lion’s share of the attention for their performance.
Scoring trends are not the only notable trends you should consider – should you also consider the position of the player?
Center dominated this award for the first 28 years, with the sport’s iconic stars playing that position, but since 1983 the MVP honour has gone to just three players who operate in that position. And when Nikola Jokic won it for the first time in 2020/21, he ended a 20-year drought for centers!
Shooting guards have not fared well in the race for Most Valuable Player. While Michael Jordan was a five-time NBA MVP during his glittering career, only three other men have played that position and gone on to win the award.
Power forward, point guard and small forward have combined to dominate this award since 2000, with 19 of the 22 winners playing one of those positions, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
So what about age? Only two players have ever won the Most Valuable Player award in their rookie season, and that has not happened since the 60s, while the MVP honour has gone to a player aged 23 or under on just four occasions.
And finally, team success is important. Since 1985 only three players have won the Most Valuable Player award when their team has finished third or lower in their conference regular season standings.
| Times Won | Position |
|---|---|
| 27 | Center |
| 11 | Point Guard |
| 11 | Power Forward |
| 10 | Small Forward |
| 8 | Shooting Guard |
Previous NBA Most Valuable Player Winners
The biggest names in the history of basketball have won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award since it was introduced during the 1955-56 season.
Bob Pettit of the St Louis Hawks was the first winner of the award, and over the next couple of decades Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell established themselves as the game's best player by winning the award four times each.
Los Angeles Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then took it to a whole new level between 1971 and 1980 as he wast named the NBA's MVP a record-setting six times.
Larry Bird and Mahic Johnson then won the award three times each, before Chicago Bulls megastar Michael Jordan took the honours five times in the space of eight years, helping his team to two NBA title three-peats.
LeBron James is a four-time winner of the award but has not won it since 2013, with Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo both two-time winners. Nikola Jokic is also a two-time MVP winner, having claimed the award in each of the past two seasons.
| Season | Name (No. of times won) | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–56 | Bob Pettit | Power forward | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1956–57 | Bob Cousy | Point guard | Boston Celtics |
| 1957–58 | Bill Russell | Center | Boston Celtics |
| 1958–59 | Bob Pettit (2) | Power forward | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1959–60 | Wilt Chamberlain | Center | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1960–61 | Bill Russell (2) | Center | Boston Celtics |
| 1961–62 | Bill Russell (3) | Center | Boston Celtics |
| 1962–63 | Bill Russell (4) | Center | Boston Celtics |
| 1963–64 | Oscar Robertson | Point guard | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1964–65 | Bill Russell (5) | Center | Boston Celtics |
| 1965–66 | Wilt Chamberlain (2) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1966–67 | Wilt Chamberlain (3) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1967–68 | Wilt Chamberlain (4) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1968–69 | Wes Unseld | Center | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1969–70 | Willis Reed | Center | New York Knicks |
| 1970–71 | Lew Alcindor | Center | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1971–72 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2) | Center | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1972–73 | Dave Cowens | Center | Boston Celtics |
| 1973–74 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3) | Center | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1974–75 | Bob McAdoo | Center | Buffalo Braves |
| 1975–76 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4) | Center | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1976–77 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5) | Center | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1977–78 | Bill Walton | Center | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1978–79 | Moses Malone | Center | Houston Rockets |
| 1979–80 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6) | Center | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1980–81 | Julius Erving | Small forward | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1981–82 | Moses Malone (2) | Center | Houston Rockets |
| 1982–83 | Moses Malone (3) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1983–84 | Larry Bird | Small forward | Boston Celtics |
| 1984–85 | Larry Bird (2) | Small forward | Boston Celtics |
| 1985–86 | Larry Bird (3) | Small forward | Boston Celtics |
| 1986–87 | Magic Johnson | Point guard | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1987–88 | Michael Jordan | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls |
| 1988–89 | Magic Johnson (2) | Point guard | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1989–90 | Magic Johnson (3) | Point guard | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1990–91 | Michael Jordan (2) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls |
| 1991–92 | Michael Jordan (3) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls |
| 1992–93 | Charles Barkley | Power forward | Phoenix Suns |
| 1993–94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Center | Houston Rockets |
| 1994–95 | David Robinson | Center | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1995–96 | Michael Jordan (4) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls |
| 1996–97 | Karl Malone | Power forward | Utah Jazz |
| 1997–98 | Michael Jordan (5) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls |
| 1998–99 | Karl Malone (2) | Power forward | Utah Jazz |
| 1999–00 | Shaquille O'Neal | Center | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2000–01 | Allen Iverson | Shooting guard | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2001–02 | Tim Duncan | Power forward | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2002–03 | Tim Duncan (2) | Power forward | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2003–04 | Kevin Garnett | Power forward | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2004–05 | Steve Nash | Point guard | Phoenix Suns |
| 2005–06 | Steve Nash (2) | Point guard | Phoenix Suns |
| 2006–07 | Dirk Nowitzki | Power forward | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2007–08 | Kobe Bryant | Shooting guard | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2008–09 | LeBron James | Small forward | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2009–10 | LeBron James (2) | Small forward | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010–11 | Derrick Rose | Point guard | Chicago Bulls |
| 2011–12 | LeBron James (3) | Small forward | Miami Heat |
| 2012–13 | LeBron James (4) | Small forward | Miami Heat |
| 2013–14 | Kevin Durant | Small forward | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2014–15 | Stephen Curry | Point guard | Golden State Warriors |
| 2015–16 | Stephen Curry (2) | Point guard | Golden State Warriors |
| 2016–17 | Russell Westbrook | Point guard | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2017–18 | James Harden | Shooting guard | Houston Rockets |
| 2018–19 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Power forward | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2019–20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (2) | Power forward | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2020–21 | Nikola Jokić | Center | Denver Nuggets |
| 2021–22 | Nikola Jokić (2) | Center | Denver Nuggets |
NBA Live Streaming
Not only can you bet on who will be crowned the best player in the NBA, you can also watch the superstars of the premier league of basketball live in action thanks to bet365's live streaming service.
bet365's live streaming service is only available to eligible customers. To watch, all you need is a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours. Please note that some geo restrictions do apply.
NBA Most Valuable Player FAQs
What is the NBA Most Valuable Player award?
The NBA Most Valuable Player award is given to the player considered the best basketball player in the world.
Who won the NBA Most Valuable Player award last season?
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets won the 2021/22 NBA Most Valuable Player award.
Who has won the most Most Valuable Player awards?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers) won the Most Valuable Player award six times in his career.
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