Bleacher Report listed the MVP odds for the 2018-19 NBA season, according to Bovada. Altogether, there are 30 players who have their odds listed. Here are the 10 favorites to take home MVP honors, as well as five other notable players.
MVP favorites
- LeBron James 10/3
- Anthony Davis 4/1
- Giannis Antetokounmpo 9/2
- James Harden 11/2
- Kevin Durant 9/1
LeBron James is the favorite to take home his fifth MVP trophy in his first season wearing a Lakers jersey. It would be his first time winning the award since the 2012-13 season. The top five also features two other former MVP winners in James Harden and Kevin Durant.
Harden is the reigning winner of the award while Durant received the honor after the 2013-14 season. With James moving to the Western Conference, many consider Giannis Antetokounmpo the best player in the East. Anthony Davis averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks after the All-Star break last season.
Rounding out the top 10
- Kawhi Leonard 11/1
- Russell Westbrook 14/1
- Stephen Curry 15/1
- Joel Embiid 16/1
- Kyrie Irving 16/1
Two former MVP winners are featured here in Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook. Curry won back-to-back MVP trophies after the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. Westbrook won in the 2016-17 season after becoming the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double. He repeated the feat last season but finished fifth in voting.
If Kawhi Leonard can lead the Raptors to the top seed in the East during his first season with Toronto, expect him to get a lot of MVP consideration. Over half the voters from an ESPN panel expect Leonard to play for Toronto just one season, though, predicting that he will play for the Lakers in 2019-20.
Joel Embiid (76ers) and Kyrie Irving (Celtics) will also likely receive more MVP consideration if they lead their respective teams to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Odds for other notable players
- Ben Simmons 35/1
- Donovan Mitchell 85/1
- Chris Paul 100/1
- Kristaps Porzingis 275/1
- Lonzo Ball 450/1
The last player listed in the MVP odds is Lonzo Ball. His outspoken father may have something to say about his son being considered the longest of longshots to win MVP. Kristaps Porzingis is the third-to-last player listed, but he is not expected to be ready until around Christmas at the earliest. He is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season. The two top rookies from last season -- Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell -- have the 11th and 16th-best odds to win MVP.