Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander and Nikola Jokić have been officially named the three candidates for this season's NBA Most Valuable Player award. Their selection continues a remarkable streak: for eight straight seasons the league’s top honor has gone to a player born outside the United States. Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander, the point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, entered the campaign as the defending MVP after capturing the trophy last year. He now finds himself in contention for a rare back‑to‑back victory, a feat achieved by only a handful of players in NBA history.
Nikola Jokić, the Serbian center who anchors the Denver Nuggets, is also vying for a fourth MVP title, having already secured the award in 2021, 2022 and 2024. The third finalist, Victor Wembanyama, the 7‑foot‑4 rookie sensation from France, is making his first push for the league’s most prestigious individual accolade and has also been named to the shortlist for Defensive Player of the Year.
The international dominance of the MVP award began in 2019 when Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Greek‑born son of Nigerian immigrants, captured the honor with the Milwaukee Bucks. He repeated the feat in 2020, establishing a new benchmark for global talent in the NBA.
Following Giannis, Serbian big man Nikola Jokić took the mantle in 2021 and 2022, while Cameroon‑born forward Joel Embiid—who later became a U.S. citizen—won the award in 2023. Canada’s Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander added to the tally in 2024, and now the 2025 shortlist is once again composed entirely of players who were born abroad. Wembanyama’s rise has been meteoric.
After being selected as the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, the French phenom spent his rookie season acclimating to the professional game. This postseason, he announced his arrival on the biggest stage by dropping 35 points in his very first playoff appearance. That performance set a new franchise record for the San Antonio Spurs, who defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 111‑98 in Game 1 of the series.
His scoring outburst, combined with his rim‑protecting presence and ability to stretch the floor, has sparked conversations about whether a rookie could realistically claim the MVP crown. The MVP race this year is unusual not only because of its international composition but also because of the contrasting styles of the three candidates.
Gilgeous‑Alexander is a dynamic guard who blends elite scoring, playmaking and defensive versatility. He averages close to 30 points per game while also contributing roughly six assists and four rebounds, all while leading a Thunder team that has dramatically improved its defensive rating. Jokić, on the other hand, is a traditional center with an unprecedented skill set: he orchestrates the Nuggets’ offense from the post, posts a career‑high in assists, and maintains efficiency rates that rival any guard in the league.
His ability to read defenses, find open shooters, and finish at the rim makes him a perennial MVP favorite. Wembanyama offers a different kind of value—his unique combination of height, length, shooting range, and shot‑blocking ability creates matchup nightmares for opponents and provides the Spurs with a two‑way anchor that can dominate both ends of the floor. Beyond the on‑court statistics, the narrative surrounding each player adds depth to the debate. Gilgeous‑Alexander’s pursuit of consecutive MVPs would place him among an elite group that includes legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and LeBron James.
Jokić’s potential fourth award would further cement his legacy as one of the greatest big men of the modern era, a player whose impact transcends traditional box‑score metrics. Wembanyama’s candidacy, meanwhile, carries the weight of expectation for a generational talent who entered the league with a global fanbase and a reputation that preceded him from his teenage years in Europe. The NBA’s global outreach has been a driving force behind this trend. Television contracts, digital streaming platforms and international marketing campaigns have expanded the league’s footprint to every continent, turning players like Wembanyama into worldwide icons even before they step onto an NBA hardwood.
Sky Sports, for example, continues to broadcast live NBA games to a European audience, offering comprehensive coverage that includes pre‑game analysis, live streaming, and post‑game highlights. Fans in the United Kingdom can follow the playoffs, including matchups such as the Toronto Raptors versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, via Sky Sports+ beginning at 11 p.m. on Monday evenings. The network also provides a suite of on‑demand highlights, allowing viewers to catch up on key moments from any game at their convenience.
As the regular season draws to a close and the playoffs intensify, the MVP race will likely tighten. Voters—comprising sports journalists, broadcasters and former players—will weigh not only raw statistics but also each candidate’s influence on team success, clutch performances and overall narrative. Should the Thunder continue their surge, Gilgeous‑Alexander could solidify his case. If the Nuggets maintain their dominance in the West, Jokić’s résumé will become even more compelling.
And if the Spurs can leverage Wembanyama’s historic playoff debut into deeper postseason success, the French rookie may surprise the voting panel with a historic first‑year MVP win. Regardless of the eventual outcome, the 2025 MVP shortlist underscores the NBA’s evolution into a truly international league, where talent knows no borders and the game’s brightest stars hail from every corner of the globe.
The coming weeks promise intense debate, thrilling basketball, and perhaps a new chapter in the story of the league’s most coveted individual honor.