Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder remains the betting favorite to be named the 2025 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, even after his team came up short at home in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers on June 5.
Here's an updated look at the betting leaderboard for all contenders vying for the Bill Russell trophy.
2025 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | -320 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | Indiana Pacers | +360 |
| Pascal Siakam | Indiana Pacers | +1300 |
| Jalen Williams | Oklahoma City Thunder | +4800 |
| Chet Holmgren | Oklahoma City Thunder | +12000 |
| Myles Turner | Indiana Pacers | +14000 |
| Andrew Nembhard | Indiana Pacers | +20000 |
| Aaron Nesmith | Indiana Pacers | +32000 |
| Alex Caruso | Oklahoma City Thunder | +50000 |
| Luguentz Dort | Oklahoma City Thunder | +50000 |
Odds as of June 6, 2025 at FanDuel Sportsbook
2025 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Betting favorite: shai gilgeous-alexander, oklahoma city thunder (-320)
The Thunder are still favored on the moneyline to capture the Larry O'Brien despite trailing 1-0 in the best-of-seven series following a heartbreaking defeat at the Paycom Center. Gilgeous-Alexander was up to his usual scoring ways with 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Every point of his was sorely needed as teammates Jalen Williams (17 points) and Chet Holmgren (six points) combined to shoot 8-of-28 from the field.
Game 1 marked the fourth time in a row that Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 30 or more points versus Indiana, and if his teammates continue to be as inefficient as they were, there will be plenty more 30-plus nights in store for the regular season MVP.
2025 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Betting contender: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers (+360)
Four of Tyrese Haliburton's teammates scored as many or more points in Game 1 than he did, but no basket was more important than the one he converted with 0.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers their only lead of the ball game and an eventual victory. This has become the norm for the two-time All-Star, as he's now 6-of-7 (85.7 percent) when taking a shot to tie or take the lead in the final 90 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime this playoffs (h/t Keerthika Uthayakumar).
Prior to that shot dropping, Haliburton was likely on the verge of being criticized to no end for a fairly quiet night, but as he's done time and time again, the lasting image of the evening was his and his alone, putting Indiana within three victories of a first-ever title.
Past 10 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Winners
| Year | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets |
| 2022 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| 2021 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2020 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2019 | Kawhi Leonard | Toronto Raptors |
| 2018 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors |
| 2017 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors |
| 2016 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2015 | Andre Iguodala | Golden State Warriors |
Only former Warriors forward Kevin Durant has managed to repeat as Finals Most Valuable Player over the last decade. He s LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players since 2000 to do so.
Who Has Won The Most NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards?
| NBA Finals MVP Wins | Player | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| 4 | LeBron James | Miami Heat (2), Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers | 2012, 2013, 2016, 2020 |
| 3 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | 1999, 2003, 2005 |
| 3 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 1980, 1982, 1987 |
| 3 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers | 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers | 1971, 1985 |
| 2 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | 1984, 1986 |
| 2 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 2009, 2010 |
| 2 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors | 2017, 2018 |
| 2 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors | 2014, 2019 |
| 2 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | 1994, 1995 |
| 2 | Willis Reed | New York Knicks | 1970, 1973 |
The Finals Most Valuable Player award was first introduced in 1969 and won by Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West. Since its inception, only Michael Jordan and LeBron James have captured the award four or more times.
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Winners By Position
| Position | Winners |
|---|---|
| Small Forward | 15 |
| Center | 14 |
| Shooting Guard | 11 |
| Point Guard | 9 |
| Power Forward | 7 |
How To Read NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2025 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player odds laid out like this:
- Jayson Tatum +750
- Jaylen Brown +850
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +850
- Nikola Jokic +900
Unlike a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+), the player with the lowest odds with the plus sign (+) is the favorite. In this scenario, Jayson Tatum is favored. If you were to bet $100 on Tatum in the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player betting odds and it hits, you would win $850 – your $100 is returned and you would get $750 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s NBA Finals Finals Most Valuable Player. To make a Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player odds and the amount of money you bet.
