The 2024-25 NBA Season has produced one of the most competitive MVP races in league history. With the conclusion of the season, voters must answer one grueling question with no easy answer: Who is this year’s NBA Kia MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokic?

For starters, what does the term “most valuable player“ even mean? With no hard-set criteria for the award, the media’s definition of the MVP has fluctuated since its very inception, almost sixty years ago. In the history of the NBA, the most common thread for determining the MVP has been exceptional individual stats. 2017’s MVP, Russell Westbrook, became the second player in history to average a triple-double and the first to break the record, cementing his legacy in the NBA. However, even with this extraordinary performance, Westbrook wasn’t even close to a unanimous MVP. And the explanation for why he wasn’t is simple: the OKC Thunder were the 6th seed in the Western Conference that year.

In addition to stats, voters have continued to look at the impact on team success in determining the winner of the award. It’s rare to see a player win MVP on a mediocre team or one with a losing record. In recent years, the winner of the award has consistently secured a top 3 seed in their respective conferences, with Westbrook and Jokic being the two exceptions. There are also other intangible qualities that define the value of a player, such as leadership, clutch performance, or work ethic. As such, the MVP award doesn’t have a universal criterion, but it’s rather a combination of a variety of elements. In fact, the reason that the 2023 MVP race was so controversial was because of this animosity in the criteria. Although Embiid (the award winner) averaged more points than Nikola Jokic (second place), Jokic not only beat him in rebounds and assists, but he also led the team to a first seed. This raised questions among fans and analysts around which factor carries the most weight.

Statistically, Nikola Jokic’s night-to-night output is unprecedented. The already three-time MVP has produced his greatest regular season thus far, averaging 29.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg, and 10.3 apg – all while shooting nearly 60% from the field. This season, he became the first center in NBA history to average a triple-double. His ability to dominate every part of the game helped the Nuggets secure a top seed in the West. In fact, Denver loses twice as many games when Jokic hasn’t played. On top of that, Jokic has the second-most steals this season, behind Dyson Daniels. At this rate, Jokic will likely finish among the top three in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals, which is simply staggering, as no player has ever done this.  The unbelievable stats Jokic has put up this season make it a question of not only whether Jokic is the MVP, but even a top 10 player of all time. His success and incredible performances have continued even after the Nuggets’ coach, Mike Malone, was fired right before the playoffs.

However, basketball is not just a game played by numbers. And even if it was, SGA has certainly contributed his fair share as well. Averaging 32.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 6.4 apg on top of 2.7 stocks (steals and blocks combined) a night, Shai has undeniably established himself as one of the best players in the modern era. But even more importantly, the OKC Thunder have been an absolute powerhouse. The young squad has had a historic 68 win season, good for the best in franchise history. While guards like 2019 James Harden and Luka Doncic have admittedly put up numbers that met or exceeded Alexander’s in recent years, neither were able to translate their dominance to historic team success on the level of SGA. For reference, the only other guards to average over 30 points a game while winning at least 65 games in the regular season are Michael Jordan in ‘92 and ‘96, 2016 Stephen Curry, and 2018 James Harden. All three of these players won the MVP award in these respective seasons.

Currently, SGA is polling better than Jokic for the award, and this is likely in part due to people being numb to Jokic’s success. He has been such a powerhouse in the last few years, and although his performance this season has been extraordinary, it doesn’t stick out as much as SGA’s. However, voter fatigue should not detract from just how good Jokic has been; he has had a truly historic season, and his stats are virtually unmatched. So, although Shai may come away with the MVP trophy, this race has truly been a toss-up between two astounding players.