NBA MVP straw poll: Where 100 league insiders see the race headed
SGA? Jokic? Cup MVP Jalen Brunson? We polled 100 media members in a ballot that mirrors the league's official vote.
www.espn.comHere’s the latest on NBA MVP voting as of 2026:
Direct answer
- The MVP race for the 2025-26 season has been led by top stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Dončić in various straw polls and mid-season rankings. Media outlets have repeatedly placed SGA and Jokic at the top, with a number of other contenders like Doncic, Jalen Brunson, and Cade Cunningham rounding out the early lists.[2][4][5]
Context and what this means
- ESPN’s MVP straw polls (an insiders’ ranking that mirrors the league’s voting) have consistently shown SGA and Jokic as the front-runners, with other stars jockeying for position as the season progresses.[3][4][2]
- The field typically narrows as teams’ playoff chances solidify and performances in the final stretch influence the actual ballot, though early-season momentum in these polls often foreshadows the official outcomes.[10][2]
Recent notable patterns
- After the All-Star break, the debate often centers on whether SGA can sustain his pace or if Jokic’s all-around impact keeps him in the lead, with Doncic and Brunson sometimes rising in the rankings depending on team results and individual stats.[4][5]
- Prior years’ voting patterns show media polls trending toward players with standout efficiency, impact in clutch moments, and team success, which can signal how the real MVP voting might tilt late in the season.[5][2]
If you’d like, I can pull the latest specific rankings from a couple of outlets and present them in a concise side-by-side format, including first-place votes and total points from the most recent polls. I can also track how the rankings evolve week by week until the official MVP announcement.