MVP market opens
Before a single first‑round game is played, betting markets placed Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander and Victor Wembanyama as the early favorites for NBA Finals MVP. The opening odds list those two names atop the board as sportsbooks price championship and individual‑award futures ahead of the postseason (si.com).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama opened the 2026 postseason as the betting favorites for NBA Finals Most Valuable Player before any first-round game tipped off. (sportsbookreview.com) Sportsbook Review’s April 12 odds listed Gilgeous-Alexander at +230 and Wembanyama behind a pack that included Nikola Jokić at +900, with the market built from FanDuel prices. A separate Odds Shark board published April 7 had Gilgeous-Alexander at +130 and Wembanyama at +550, showing how quickly these numbers can move before the bracket starts. (sportsbookreview.com) (oddsshark.com) Those prices track the playoff bracket. The Oklahoma City Thunder finished 64-18 for the West’s No. 1 seed, and the San Antonio Spurs finished 62-20 for the No. 2 seed, putting both stars on the side of the bracket with the clearest title path. (espn.com) (nba.com) Finals MVP is not a full-playoff award. The Bill Russell Trophy goes to the best performer in the championship series, so sportsbooks are really pricing two things at once: a team’s chance to reach the Finals and a star’s chance to dominate it. (nba.com) That setup usually pushes the market toward lead scorers on top seeds. Gilgeous-Alexander already won the award in 2025 after Oklahoma City beat Indiana in seven games, and repeat champions often keep their best player near the top of the next year’s board. (nba.com) (sportsbookreview.com) Wembanyama’s place near the top says as much about San Antonio’s rise as his individual season. The Spurs entered the playoffs as the West’s No. 2 seed and drew the No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round on the official bracket. (espn.com) (nba.com) The market is still far from settled. Sportsbook Review listed Donovan Mitchell at +1000, Jalen Brunson at +1200, Luka Dončić at +1700 and Jayson Tatum at +1400, which means bettors still have multiple contenders tied to plausible Finals runs. (sportsbookreview.com) The first-round schedule starts April 18, and the NBA’s bracket lists the Finals opener for June 3 on ABC. Until games begin, this market is mostly a snapshot of which teams sportsbooks think are closest to four playoff rounds. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
