NBA MVP Finalists Announced: Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander, Edwards Lead Race as Doncic Misses Cut
The NBA revealed its three finalists for the 2023-24 Kia Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday, setting the stage for one of the most closely watched individual races in recent memory. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard-forward Anthony Edwards have been named the contenders, the league confirmed via its official channels. Notably absent from the list is Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić, who finished the season as the NBA’s leading scorer but failed to crack the top three in MVP voting.
The announcement came just days before the NBA Playoffs began, adding urgency to the debate over who truly deserved the league’s highest individual honor. Jokić, the two-time defending MVP, seeks to make history by becoming only the third player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVPs, joining Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain. Gilgeous-Alexander, in his first MVP finalist appearance, powered the Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a historic two-way season. Edwards, meanwhile, emerged as the Timberwolves’ undisputed leader, guiding Minnesota to its best record in two decades and a Western Conference Finals berth.
Dončić’s omission, despite averaging a league-leading 33.9 points per game, sparked immediate discussion among analysts and fans. While his scoring prowess was undeniable, the Mavericks finished 50-32 and clinched the fifth seed in the West — a record that, while solid, paled in comparison to the 57-win seasons of both the Thunder and Nuggets. Dallas’ defensive rating ranked 18th in the league, raising questions about the team’s overall impact when Dončić was on the floor.
Jokić’s case rests on his unparalleled all-around dominance. The Serbian center averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game, becoming the first player in NBA history to record a 25-point, 12-rebound, 9-assist season. He as well led the league in triple-doubles with 30, including a franchise-record 28-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist performance against the New York Knicks in March. Denver finished with the second-best record in the West (57-25) and held the league’s top offensive rating for the second straight year.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise to elite stardom was the season’s most compelling narrative. The 25-year-old Canadian guard averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 51.0% from the field and 38.7% from three — elite efficiency for a primary ball-handler. He carried the Thunder to a franchise-record 57 wins and the best defensive rating in the NBA (106.7), earning All-Defensive First Team honors alongside his All-NBA First Team selection. Oklahoma City’s transformation from lottery team to title contender hinged on his two-way excellence.
Edwards, in only his fourth NBA season, took a leap few anticipated. The 22-year-old averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 48.0% from the field and 37.5% from three. He became the first Timberwolves player since Kevin Garnett to average at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a season, and his clutch performances down the stretch — including a 44-point outburst against the Denver Nuggets in the regular-season finale — were instrumental in Minnesota securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The MVP voting process, conducted by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada, concluded before the playoffs began. Each voter ranked their top five choices, with points awarded on a 10-7-5-3-1 basis. While the NBA has not released the final tally, historical trends suggest Jokić entered the voting as the slight favorite, given his back-to-back wins and sustained statistical dominance. However, Gilgeous-Alexander’s meteoric rise and Edwards’ breakout star power made this the most competitive MVP race since 2021, when Nikola Jokić edged Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
For global readers, the timing of the announcement is relevant: the NBA Playoffs began on April 20, 2024, with the first round series unfolding across multiple time zones. Games in Oklahoma City (Central Daylight Time, UTC-5) and Denver (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-6) aired in prime time for North American audiences but reached European and Asian viewers in the early morning hours. The Western Conference Finals, where the Timberwolves ultimately fell to the Mavericks in a hard-fought series, began on May 21, 2024.
The absence of Dončić from the MVP conversation, while disappointing for Mavericks fans, underscores a broader truth about the award: it values team success and holistic impact as much as individual brilliance. A player can lead the league in scoring and still fall short if their team fails to reach elite status or if their contributions are seen as overly reliant on volume shooting. Dončić’s 33.9 points per game marked the highest scoring average since James Harden’s 36.1 in 2018-19, but the Mavericks’ middle-of-the-pack defensive performance and inconsistent bench production limited their ceiling.
Looking ahead, the MVP award will be presented during the NBA Awards ceremony on June 25, 2024, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The event, which will also honor winners of the Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Sixth Man of the Year awards, will be broadcast live on NBA TV and streamed globally via the NBA App and NBA.com. International viewers can tune in at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (June 26, 2:00 a.m. BST in London, 3:00 a.m. CEST in Berlin and Paris, and 10:00 a.m. JST the following day in Tokyo).
As the playoffs progress, the debate over the 2023-24 MVP will continue to simmer. Whether Jokić achieves the historic three-peat, Gilgeous-Alexander claims his first MVP as the face of Oklahoma City’s renaissance, or Edwards breaks through as the Timberwolves’ new franchise cornerstone, the conversation reflects the evolving nature of excellence in the modern NBA. For now, the three finalists stand as the league’s consensus best — each representing a different path to greatness.
What do you think? Who should win the 2023-24 NBA MVP? Share your take in the comments below, and don’t forget to follow Archysport for the latest updates as the playoffs unfold.
