NBA MVP race 2026: Ranking the five strongest candidates
With Oklahoma City separating themselves in the West and Detroit’s shock rise reshaping the East, the MVP race has entered its most decisive phase.
While familiar superstars continue to lead the conversation, new names are forcing their way into the picture.
From scoring dominance to franchise-defining leadership, several players have built strong cases this year.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Jake Reed gives a ranking of the five strongest candidates so far.
5. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown has built a real MVP case, even if he still feels like an outsider in the broader conversation.
Operating as Boston’s number one man in the absence of Jayson Tatum for much of the season, he has combined high-level scoring production with elite two-way intensity to keep the Celtics in the Eastern Conference race.
Averaging 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists per game, Brown has embraced the increased responsibility both offensively and defensively.
His candidacy has also begun to gather momentum in the media, with ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith recently describing him as “a top two candidate for league MVP.”
LeBron James echoed a similar sentiment earlier in the season, suggesting Brown’s performances have been overlooked due to the league’s tendency to favour more established narrative frontrunners.
The one complication is his on/off numbers. The Celtics are noticeably better when he sits, posting a -8.7 swing.
That is a difficult figure to explain away entirely, and it is probably the main reason he sits fifth rather than higher. What he has done this season is still remarkable, but that number matters to voters.
While someone like Dončić, whose individual production exceeds Brown’s, may have the stronger statistical case, the Celtics forward benefits from a more compelling narrative centred on leadership responsibility and sustained success in Tatum’s absence.
4. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Detroit are the No. 1 seed in the East, sitting at 46-18. Just two years ago, they sat bottom of the NBA, going 14-68.
Cade Cunningham has been the engine of that turnaround. He is averaging 25.1 points and 9.9 assists per game, elite production from a player carrying the primary offensive burden on a conference-leading team.
In a franchise that has been defined by dysfunction over the years, he’s brought control to this young and impressive side.
This is why Cunningham possesses a stronger narrative than some players with bigger scoring totals. He has fundamentally changed what the Pistons are.
ESPN’s February straw poll had him third, with one first-place vote, and since then, Cade and the Pistons have kept up enough form to keep him high in the rankings.
The only real weakness in Cunningham’s case is efficiency. Shooting 46% from the field and 34% from three with a true shooting mark of 56.4, he lacks the scoring efficiency typically associated with MVP winners.
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3. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Talk around Victor Wembanyama is no longer just about his potential. It is about his dominance in the present.
He is averaging 24.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and a league-leading 3 blocks per game, leading the Spurs to a record of 48-17, and currently on a 16-1 run.
They sit second in the West, pushing reigning champions Oklahoma City.
An injury back in November meant minutes were limited in the early weeks of this year, but his recent run is what makes him impossible to ignore.
He was just named Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.75 blocks across a 4-0 week.
He followed that surge with a 39-point, 11-rebound performance against Boston, hitting eight three-pointers, showcasing why people call him ‘The Alien’.
This kind of late-season charge is exactly what can change the entire MVP framing. The only reason he sits third is the sheer consistency of the two candidates above him.
2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
One look at Nikola Jokić’s numbers explains why he sits this high.
The Serbian is averaging a triple-double with 28.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. Ranking first in the league for both rebounds and assists. In most seasons, this would be a runaway MVP campaign.
Put simply, there is still no one else in the sport who controls a game the way he does.
But what nudges him just behind the number one pick is team context. Denver is 39-26, solid but not dominant.
It is below what was expected of them coming into the season, but they have had major struggles with injuries all season long.
Jokić is still firmly in the fight, and he is still the benchmark everyone is measured against, but this year, he is chasing someone with nearly the same individual authority and a stronger team resume.
That is why he feels more like the pursuer than the favourite right now.
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1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
This is the cleanest MVP profile in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.7 points and 6.6 assists, shooting 55.1% from the field and 38.3% from three, and he is doing it for the NBA’s best team.
Oklahoma City are 51-15, have the league’s best defensive rating (106.2) and best net rating (+10.8), and have won nine of their last 10.
At some stage, the combination of elite individual production and overwhelming team success becomes too strong to overthink, and SGA has reached that point.
OKC are reigning champions, sitting top of the league, with a young core and the draft capital to back it up.
They look like a team built for sustained contention, and right now, SGA is the reason why.
His case has also been reinforced by defining performances in key moments. In Oklahoma City’s recent 129-126 win over Denver, Gilgeous-Alexander produced a staggering 35 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds without committing a single turnover.
Jokić may have the louder box score case, Cade and Brown the dramatic narratives, and Wembanyama the most spectacular performances, but Gilgeous-Alexander has the strongest overall argument when considering production, success and the eye test.
Just outside the ladder
Luka Dončić can consider himself unlucky to miss out. Averaging a league-leading 32.5 points per game while driving the Lakers' recent surge up the Western Conference standings, he is delivering one of the most dominant offensive seasons in the league.
He just runs into a top five where narrative momentum and team positioning matter, and right now, others have the edge on both. With the voting closing before the postseason, his window to change that is running out.
Anthony Edwards has also been producing headline performances, including a 36-point game on Wednesday, but Minnesota have lost three straight and slid to sixth in the West.
Momentum matters at this stage of the season, and his has stalled at the wrong time.
Kawhi Leonard is another forcing himself into the discussion with explosive bursts like his 45-point night against Minnesota.
He has been the driving force behind the Clippers turning their 6-21 start to 33-32, one of the more extraordinary mid-season stories of the year, alongside the Hornets.
Their standing in the West, though, still leaves him just outside the leading tier.
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