NBA to Announce MVP on Sunday Ahead of Thunder-Spurs West Finals Opener
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The NBA will reveal its 2025-26 Most Valuable Player on Sunday, one day before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.
Amazon Prime Video plans to disclose the winner during its pregame show, which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET. The three finalists are Thunder guard and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
Whoever claims the trophy will extend an international streak: it will mark the eighth straight season—and the 12th time overall—that a player born outside the United States earns the league’s top individual honor.
International MVP Run
The current wave began with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) in 2019 and 2020, followed by Jokic (Serbia) in 2021 and 2022, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (Cameroon) in 2023, Jokic again in 2024 and Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) last season.
Wembanyama would become the first French player to secure the award. Jokic, meanwhile, is seeking his fourth MVP, a feat previously achieved only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four) and LeBron James (four).
Before the current streak, international winners included Nigeria’s Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994, Canada’s Steve Nash in 2005 and 2006, and Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki in 2007.
Timing Mirrors Last Year
The league’s choice to announce the MVP on the eve of the West finals mirrors last season, when Gilgeous-Alexander was named MVP on May 21 and received the trophy before Game 2 in Oklahoma City a day later. This year’s announcement comes ahead of Monday night’s series opener at Paycom Center.
Source: ESPN.com
