2023 NBA MVP Odds: Embiid Setting Up Trilogy Bout with Jokic

NBA MVP odds are front and center with 2022-23 hitting its second half, and plenty of the usual suspects are dominating the midseason Most Valuable Player narrative.

With the board shuffling, many bettors will be looking to sink their teeth into the NBA odds markets. And, as it has each of the past two seasons, the 2023 trophy is looking like a battle between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. 

See how the contenders stack up in the latest odds for 2023 NBA MVP.

Odds to win 2022-23 NBA MVP race

Player	Team	Position	Odds
Nikola Jokic	Denver Nuggets	C	-120
Joel Embiid	Philadelphia 76ers	C	+240
Luka Doncic	Dallas Mavericks	PG	+475
Jayson Tatum	Boston Celtics	SF	+1,000
Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks	PF	+1,100
Ja Morant	Memphis Grizzlies	PG	+3,500
LeBron James	Los Angeles Lakers	F	+4,500
Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	PG	+4,500
Kevin Durant	Brooklyn Nets	F	+5,000
Damian Lillard	Portland Trail Blazers	PG	+15,000

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, February 1, 2023.

Favorites to win the NBA MVP race

Nikola Jokic (-120)

Voter fatigue? Never heard of it. 

Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has been going absolutely bananas over the past two-plus months, comfortably averaging a triple-double over a prolonged stretch that's seen the Nuggets ascend to the West's No. 1 seed. 

the year is 2050. flying cars exist. we can teleport now. in-person social interactions are a thing of the past. nikola jokic has just won MVP for the 30th consecutive year.

— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) December 26, 2022

Three-peating as MVP is no small task. It's something only three players have ever done, none since Larry Bird in the mid-80s.

But with Jokic putting up another God-tier offensive season, and Denver now atop the uber-competitive West to boot, the narrative over the past few weeks has largely questioned if voters can plausibly deny him at this point. 

His odds movement suggests as much — priced around +2,800 to +3,000 in December, he's now the odds-on leader, and appears poised to make history.

Joel Embiid (+240)

Joel Embiid knew that all eyes would be on him this past weekend when the 76ers took on the Nuggets, and he did more than just rise to the occasion, throttling the MVP leader for an emphatic 47/18/5 in a W that, at the time, put Philly within inches of the East's No. 1 seed. 

The Process leaped from No. 4 to No. 2 on the odds board shortly after Saturday's afternoon dismantling of the favorite's squad, proving the impact of a high-profile matchup on the award's narrative. 

Embiid was generally ridiculous in January, scoring a hair under 35 points per game, with the Sixers going 8-2 in his appearances to very much re-assert themselves among the East's top tier after an injury-riddled start.

Luka Doncic (+475)

The preseason betting favorite each of the past two years, Luka Doncic is still in search of what feels like an inevitable MVP award.

Doncic has been putting up undeniably monster numbers this season, with his recent string of 50-point outings (four since December 23) reverberating through the MVP narrative streets.   

Okay Luka ????

pic.twitter.com/9reViNOymP

— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) January 25, 2023

But, the question remains: Can Dallas succeed enough as a team to bolster his credentials? The Mavs are currently stuck in a huge glut of middling West teams, with just four games separating seeds No. 4 through 13.

Dallas could wind up pretty much anywhere in the West, putting Doncic's potential MVP claim in a blender.

Understanding NBA MVP odds

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. Nikola Jokic had all but locked up the award by the end of last season, so his odds were listed with a minus (-) sign ahead of the number. 

• Nikola Jokic -700

The (-) meant that Jokic was an odds-on favorite, and a bettor needed to wager $700 to win $100. Other contenders in the MVP race had plus (+) odds to win.

• Joel Embiid +650

Here, a bettor stood to profit $650 for a $100 wager on Embiid if he had won the award. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

NBA MVP betting trends

Here are some trends you may want to consider before placing a bet on the NBA MVP:

• Repeat winners are somewhat common. Jokic's latest win marked the 13th different player to have won the award two (or more) years in a row.
  
  
• The MVP usually comes from an elite team. Since 1985, only four MVP winners have come from a team that didn't finish first or second in its conference.
  
  
• The award is usually given to a player with a few years of service time. A rookie hasn't won MVP since Wes Unseld in 1969 and only four MVPs have been younger than 23 years old.
  
  
• The MVP award has historically been dominated by centers. However, Jokic's victory in 2020-21 ended a serious drought for the position, which hadn't won the award since Shaquille O'Neal in the 1999-00 season.

NBA MVP awards by position

Centers owned the NBA MVP award in the early days of the Association, winning the trophy in 21 of the first 25 years it was presented.

NBA MVP history

A quick look at recent NBA MVPs and the position they played.

NBA MVP odds FAQ

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