:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71493646/1243927005.0.jpg "NBA MVP history: Who won the award in 2021-22? How many votes did they receive?")
The most prestigious individual honor in the NBA is the Most Valuable Player award and although there are many definitions of what “valuable” means, there's no doubt the player who wins the honor embodies those qualities. Here's a look at who won the award last season and who has the best chance to win it this year.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won last year's MVP, making it back-to-back wins for him. He beat out Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for the honor. Jokic got 875 points on the back of 65 first-place votes. Embiid had 26 first-place votes to get to 706 points and Antetokounmpo finished with 595 points.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is the favorite to win MVP this year at +425. Jokic is listed at +900 to win the honor and three-peat as MVP.