Results from the 2025-26 NBA MVP voting.
For the second straight year, the MVP race came down to two players; Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jokic won three of four MVP awards from 2021-2024, taking home the trophy in 2021, 2022, and 2024. In 2025, he was looking to become the only player besides Lebron James to win the MVP trophy back-to-back on two separate occasions.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star prevented that from happening, winning the regular season award and then going on to win the NBA Championship and Finals MVP.
In 2026, Jokic was right back in the running, looking to joining Wilt Chamerlain and James as four-time MVP winners.
Once again, SGA stood in the way.
Jokic Finishes Second
For the second straight year, the Denver Nuggets center finished second to SGA in the MVP voting.
Gilgeous-Alexander received 939 total points and 83 of a possible 100 first place votes. Jokic received 634 total points with ten first place votes.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama finished third, getting three first place votes, while Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic finished fourth despite not receiving a first-place vote. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham rounded out the top five, receiving two first place votes.
Jokic has now joined Larry Bird and Bill Russell as the only three players to finish in the top two in voting for six straight seasons.
Joel Embiid won the trophy in 2023, with Jokic finishing second. Jokic went on to win the NBA Championship and Finals MVP that season.
Last year, Jokic received 29 first place votes while SGA got 71.
Another Historic Jokic Season
Though he once again finished second to SGA, Jokic put up historic numbers to make another strong case for himself.
He averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists per game on 56.9/38.0/83.1% shooting splits. It was his second straight season averaging a triple double, leading the league in that category with 34. He became the first player ever to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game.
As far as team success, he lifted the Nuggets to 54 wins and the third seed in the West.
He did slow down after an injury kept him sidelined from December 31 to January 30, but his overall numbers were still better than anyone in contention.
SGA averaged more points (31.1 points per game) and led OKC to 64 victories, marking the best record in the NBA. The knock on Jokic from most pundits was his lack of defense, though his offense more than made up for any defensive shortcomings in the regular season.
