San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama only needed one game to climb to near the top of the NBA MVP odds board.
Wembanyama joined an elite club of players to put up 40 points and 15 rebounds on at least 70% field-goal shooting in Wednesday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Key Takeaways
- Wembanyama opened at +1,200 to win NBA MVP during the offseason.
- Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the leading candidate and as short as +190.
- An American hasn’t won MVP since James Harden in 2018.
Opening NBA MVP odds had Wembanyama, 21, at +1,200 to win league MVP.
Wembanyama's show-stopping performance - which spoiled first overall pick Cooper Flagg's NBA debut - vaulted him to +300 to win the NBA’s highest individual honor at several top sportsbooks.
| Sportsbook | Wembanyama MVP Odds |
|---|---|
| FanDuel | +340 |
| DraftKings | +300 |
| BetMGM | +300 |
| ESPN Bet | +350 |
It's only the fourth time that Wembanyama scored at least 40 points in a game. He topped Wednesday's rebound total in one of those (with 18) but never came close to shooting the ball as efficiently as he did.
Wembanyama produced the performance with a newfound focus on getting to the rim.
In his three previous games with at least 40 points, more than half of his field-goal attempts were from three. He attempted 8.8 3-pointers per game last year.
On Wednesday, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman only took two threes out of 21 field-goal attempts.
Perhaps most impressively, he did it against a defense that was better equipped to stop him than any team in the league. The Mavericks’ enormous lineup, which includes Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, and Flagg, among others, is expected to be outstanding on defense, particularly on the perimeter.
SGA leads pack
While Wembanyama is quickly closing in on the leaders, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still sits atop the odds board.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who ranges from +190 to +275 at top sportsbooks, got his season underway with 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a dramatic double-overtime win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA’s season-opener.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is next in line from +300 at bet365 and DraftKings to +350 at BetMGM. He will make his season debut Thursday against the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is also in the race, ranging from +440 at ESPN Bet to +500 at FanDuel. He put up 42 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists on 63% shooting in Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors.
Two-time MVP and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only other player with odds shorter than +2,000. He’s as short as +1,200 at DraftKings and as long as +1,500 at BetMGM.
Anthony Edwards is in his own tier of MVP contention, though online sportsbooks can’t determine exactly where that is. DraftKings has him at +1,800, while ESPN Bet has him at +3,300.
NBA MVP betting trends
While the season has only just begun, sportsbooks have essentially called this a five-man race for MVP. That’s being generous and including Antetokounmpo, but there are four players with odds inside +500.
Centers had won the trophy four years in a row until Gilgeous-Alexander claimed the award last year.
An American hasn’t won since James Harden in 2018. Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Jokic (Serbia), Wembanyama (France), Doncic (Slovenia), and Antetokounmpo are all foreign-born players. Edwards has the shortest odds of any American.
