NBA MVP finalists for 2021-22 season

The NBA announced the finalists for its 2021-22 Most Valuable Player award on Sunday and the three superstars in the running are Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

This doesn’t come as a surprise as these three individuals have been considered the clear cut MVP candidates by NBA media all season long.

Jokic is trying to win the award for a second straight year and has arguably had a better campaign than when he won MVP last season. Playing in 74 games during the regular season, he averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists as he carried a depleted Nuggets team to another postseason berth.

Antetokounmpo is gunning to become the first player since Magic Johnson to win three MVP awards in the span of four seasons. Coming off a year where he led the Bucks to an NBA championship, the “Greek Freak” averaged a career high 29.9 points along with 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists through 67 games.

Embiid is going for his first MVP award and was able to keep himself in the race by staying on the floor for a career high 68 games in the regular season. He won the league’s scoring title by averaging 30.6 points per game and coupled that with 11.7 rebounds per contest.

Betting odds for these finalists have yet to be released on DraftKings Sportsbook. Given voters’ penchant for wanting variety among MVP winners, the best bet would probably be Embiid out of this trio.