There is an ongoing MVP race between the best hoopers in the world — and for the first time in what feels like forever, Nikola Jokic is not one of the favorites.
As the men’s Olympic basketball tournament goes deeper, the odds are beginning to shift for tournament MVP.
Let’s take a look at the odds as of Aug. 4 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
LeBron James: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
Kevin Durant: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Anthony Edwards: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Anthony Davis: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Stephen Curry: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
RJ Barrett: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Bam Adebayo: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Nikola Jokic: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Atop the board is a face familiar with being recognized as the Most Valuable Player in the NBA, but not on the international scale.
It’s possible that’s because the award has only been awarded twice: Athens 2004 (Manu Ginobili) and Tokyo 2020 (Durant).
James went to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but the USA finished third. James did not play in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Through three games, Team USA is 3-0, as it prepares for a quarterfinal matchup with Brazil on Tuesday.
James is leading the American squad in minutes per game (21.8) and assists per game (7.3). He is third in points per game (14.3) and rebounds per game (6.7).
Currently leading the team in scoring is Edwards (16.7 in 18 minutes per game), followed by Durant (16.0 in 19.2 minutes per game).
In terms of non-American players in MVP contention, SGA is fourth on the board for 3-0 Canada, leading his charge in minutes per game (27.9) and sitting second in points (19.0), rebounds (4.0) and assists (4.0) per game.
Jokic — winner of three of the last four NBA MVP awards — is ninth on the board. He is averaging 18.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 26.9 minutes for 2-1 Serbia.