Nikola Jokic Ahead Of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo In First ESPN NBA MVP Straw Poll
12/20/2024 08:24 AM
On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN's crew of Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon shared the results of ESPN's first 2024-25 NBA MVP straw poll. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was atop the poll, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jokic has won three of the last four MVP awards. Antetokounmpo was a back-to-back MVP for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
This season, Jokic has averaged a career-high 31.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Jokic is also shooting a career-best 50% on three-pointers this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder to the top record in the Western Conference. He's averaging 30.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Antetokounmpo is fresh off leading the Bucks on the NBA Cup championship, which swayed some straw poll voters. For the season, Antetokounmpo is leading the NBA in scoring with a career-high 32.7 points per game. He's also averaging 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.
NBA Straw Poll Points
1. Nikola Jokic: 827
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 678
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 643
4. Jayson Tatum: 267
5. Luka Doncic: 123
6. Donovan Mitchell: 30
7. Karl-Anthony Towns: 14
8. Kevin Durant: 7
9. Jalen Brunson: 5
10. Stephen Curry: 2
