NBA MVP Rankings: Tight race takes shape in 2nd half

With the 2024-25 season at the All-Star break and only one-third of the campaign remaining, here's a look at the 10 leading candidates for the NBA's Most Valuable Player.

Previous: Not Ranked

The things James is doing at his age are truly mind-boggling. Since turning 40 at the end of 2024, James has averaged 25.5 points, 9.0 assists, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 33.8 minutes per contest. He's shooting 54.4% from the field and 44.7% from three, while the Lakers have gone 14-7 over that stretch to stay out of the play-in tournament race.

However, James' candidacy for MVP could lose steam with the Lakers' acquisition of Luka Doncic, another ball-dominant player who was putting up three more shots per contest with the Dallas Mavericks before suffering a calf injury. While James won't win MVP, Doncic will garner more offensive attention as Los Angeles' best player and the future of the franchise.

Previous: Not Ranked

Cunningham finds his way onto our MVP rankings for the first time this season. He's become one of the NBA's premier creators and is the offensive hub for a young Pistons squad on the verge of making the postseason for the first time since 2019.

Only Trae Young (45.2%) and James (43.2%) have a higher assist rate than Cunningham's 41.6%. The 23-year-old is also averaging career highs in points, rebounds, free-throw attempts, and field-goal percentage.

The former No. 1 overall pick has been thrust into the spotlight after backcourt-mate Jaden Ivey suffered a season-ending leg injury in early January. Cunningham has exploded since Ivey went down, recording 30-plus points 10 times – including two 40-point outings – and over 10 assists on seven occasions.

Previous: Not Ranked

Edwards has been tremendous over the last month as the Timberwolves continue to jostle for the West's final direct playoff berth. Most recently, the 23-year-old scored 40-plus in three straight February games, including a 49-point bonanza against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 5 - his second-highest total of the campaign.

However, Minnesota needs more from its franchise star when it matters most. Edwards' 32 games under the NBA's clutch criteria - a five-point margin in the last five minutes - are tied for the third-most in the league. But his 18 such losses are tied with teammate Jaden McDaniels for the most of any player this season. Here's another sign that his late-game decision-making needs improvement: in 109.9 total clutch minutes, Edwards has mustered just eight assists and nine turnovers.

Previous: 9

Jackson continues to climb our MVP rankings as he's been a menace for a surging Grizzlies squad that sits second in the West. The former Defensive Player of the Year is one of two players – the other being OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - to lead their team in points, blocks, and steals. Jackson also tops the Grizzlies in 3-pointers (100) and free throws (233).

Jackson, who's played 200 more minutes than the next closest Memphis player, isn't just accumulating counting stats. His on-off numbers on defense are as gaudy. The Grizzlies allow 8.3 fewer points per 100 possessions when Jackson is on the court. Ja Morant is the next-closest Grizzlies player at minus-3.2, and only one other player (Zach Edey) has a defensive impact over two.

Previous: 6

The Knicks' offense continues to flourish primarily thanks to the sharpshooting 7-footer. Since Jan. 1, New York has posted its worst offensive rating (110.8) when Towns hasn't played and its best (121.9) when he has (among players with at least 300 minutes played).

The 29-year-old has been especially proficient in February, posting 25.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.2 steals through six contests while hitting 16 of 30 3-point attempts (53.3% - better than his overall 49.5% from the floor). Towns also put up back-to-back 40-point games heading into the break, which either came at the worst time or allowed him to exert a little more effort with rest on the horizon.

Previous: 4

The East still belongs to the Cavs, who only improved at the deadline by adding De'Andre Hunter to their wing rotation. Cleveland has been ahead of Boston by at least four wins since New Year's Day, and Mitchell remains the team's strongest MVP candidate despite a solid balance throughout its rotation.

In his final eight games before the break, the 28-year-old guard shot 51.1% on 17.6 field-goal attempts while averaging 24.9 points. The Cavs went 7-1 in that stretch, with all their wins coming by double digits and a seven-point loss to the Celtics being the only blemish. During that span, Mitchell was just one of two players in the league to eclipse 51% shooting on 17-plus attempts per game while hitting at least three 3-pointers per contest - the other being Trey Murphy III.

Previous: 5

Although Tatum is maybe the most boring candidate on the list, he's putting up a pretty consistent campaign compared to previous years. He finished the last stretch of the season before the All-Star break strong, averaging 35 points and 9.3 rebounds as the Celtics picked up double-digit victories over the Knicks, Heat, and Spurs. Boston has won seven of its last eight contests, rising from a 14-12 stretch that lasted almost two months.

The 26-year-old will have a chance to continue to pile on the points. Boston has the third-easiest strength of schedule remaining post-All-Star break, playing the Jazz, Hornets, Nets, and Sixers eight times before the end of the season. If Tatum can string together signature performances, he could get closer to that trophy.

Previous: 3

Antetokounmpo has failed to grab 10 rebounds only four times in 41 games this season, which is an absurd rate considering he's less than a point per contest from leading the league in scoring, too. Before going down with knee and calf injuries earlier in February - which prevented the nine-time All-Star from playing in Sunday's showcase - Antetokounmpo was averaging 32.8 points, 13 boards, and 5.6 assists over his last 10 games. His heroics have kept Milwaukee in the thick of the race for the top four in the East.

The concern is how long the Greek Freak will be out with his calf strain. The Bucks have 29 regular-season games left, and Antetokounmpo has to play in at least 24 of them to stay award-eligible.

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The lone knock against Jokic during the first quarter of the season was that his Nuggets were barely above .500 and looked like a potential play-in squad. Things are remarkably different halfway through February: Denver is riding an eight-game winning streak and sits third in the West. No team has recorded more victories in 2025 than Denver, which has amassed 18 wins since the calendar changed.

The Serbian big man is again at the top of the league in almost every major counting stat. Jokic is on pace to join Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double over a season.

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Even as Jokic and the Nuggets gain ground in the West, the Thunder are 8.5 games ahead of them thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander's play. Over the last 12 contests, the 26-year-old has averaged 35.8 points, 5.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals. He dropped 50 points three times over two weeks, including a career-best 54 over the Jazz to kick off his latest scoring frenzy.

On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 237 more points than the next leading player, Edwards. The last two players to win MVP and the season scoring title in the same year came from OKC: Russell Westbrook in 2017 and Kevin Durant in 2014. Can SGA keep up this pace and join those franchise legends at the end of the campaign?