Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic, and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo were named finalists for the 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player award on Saturday. Jokic, named MVP for the third time in four years last season, has delivered another remarkable individual statistical season, averaging a triple-double of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game.
The Serbian superstar is just the third player to average a triple-double, but Canadian Gilgeous-Alexander boasted the best scoring average in the league with 32.7 points per game. Gilgeous-Alexander shot almost 52% from the field as he led the Thunder to the best record in the league. Oklahoma City won 68 games and set a league record for scoring margin. He finished runner-up to Jokic in voting for the award last season, and Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are widely considered the favorites over Greek star Antetokounmpo, who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020.
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Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game for the Bucks. Jokic, who also won in 2021 and 2022, could join LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain as a four-time MVP. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s six MVPs are the most ever. It’s the fourth straight year that the three MVP finalists were born outside the United States. The last US-born player to win was James Harden in 2018.
The NBA will announce the winners of its seven major regular-season awards, voted on by a panel of basketball writers and broadcasters, over the coming weeks. The finalists for Rookie of the Year are Atlanta’s rising French star Zaccharie Risacher, Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs, and Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies. Risacher, the first overall selection in last year’s draft, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Victor Wembanyama, who won the award last year after his debut season with the Spurs.
© 2024 AFP
