Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is now the betting favorite at the MVP in the NBA or the second favorite in most bookies, thanks to an unexpected commitment to the regular season to lead the Lakers to the best record in the league.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook was the first operator to place James as a favorite, placing 4-1 on Monday night, after the 36-year-old led the Lakers in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. James finished with 46 points to 19-26 in shooting, including 7-11 from 3-point field.
“People should be more in awe of what he does as he gets older. I think that should be in the minds of some voters. I think this could affect some people who didn’t vote for him last year,” said he. SuperBook NBA Director Jeff Sherman at ESPN.
James started the season in the top six favorites and even hit a 14-1 mark. Despite a brief change from the October NBA Finals to the opening night of this season, James has averaged 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists every game.
“The expectation was that he would lose some time, take it slow and prepare for the playoffs. If you don’t, the odds have changed,” Sherman said. “Anthony Davis has wasted time, went through motions and underperformed. That helped the LeBron case.”
William Hill currently lists James (3-1) as the second seed behind Luka Doncic (+280).
“He’s in his prime, so people support him and think his body will linger,” William Hill’s trade director Nick Bogdanovich told ESPN, who also told ESPN that the house could lose if James finally wins the prize.
The four-time MVP has not won the award since 2013. He finished second last year behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden in 2018 and Kevin Durant in 2014. If James wins again, he will be and will be the oldest MVP in the league. Join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5) and Bill Russell (5) as the only players in League history to have won at least five MVPs.
Doncic started this season as a favorite with the bookmaker and has remained close to the top with all bookmakers. Kevin Durant (7-1), Joel Embiid (8-1) and Nikola Jokic (8-1) have become a bigger part of the race. Giannis (9-1) is still among the leaders, but it will likely be a historic season for the two-time reigning MVP to repeat for the third time.
“Giannis almost leaves the talk. The Bucks are doing less than expected. There is voter fatigue and people can’t help but remember the playoffs,” Sherman said, referring to Milwaukee’s inability to make it to the NBA finals. even though he was the best. sow each of the last two years.
Voters are members of the media, essentially left to their own interpretation of the price. Discussions often include criteria that focus on the player with the most impressive season or who is literally the most valuable to his team.
“Obviously if you take out LeBron from the Lakers, they make a different team, but they can hold out a few times. But if you take out Luka. [Doncic] of the Mavericks, they would be a really bad team, ”said Sherman.
The Lakers are currently 14-4, while the Mavs are 8-9. The Embiid 76ers currently hold first place in the east with a 12-6 record.