Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic Top 2025 NBA MVP Voting in Final ESPN Straw Poll

The final NBA MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps looks a lot like the previous one, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić being the top two candidates by a wide margin.

Gilgeous-Alexander still has the edge in the two-man race with 931 total points and 77 first-place votes. Jokić received 23 first-place votes and 769 total points.

They are the only two players who received first- and second-place votes. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in third place (381 points), followed by Jayson Tatum (363) and Donovan Mitchell (93) to round out the top five.

Gilgeous-Alexander slightly increased his lead over Jokić from the previous poll. The Oklahoma City Thunder star had 70 first-place votes and 910 total points on Feb. 14.

The difference between then and now is seven first-place votes have shifted from Jokić to Gilgeous-Alexander. Antetokounmpo was the only other player who received a second-place vote in the Feb. 14 poll.

One scout told Bontemps they favor Jokić because of what he's done to carry the Denver Nuggets with players around him being injured and their lack of depth this season.

"I'd go Jokic," the scout said. "[For] keeping that team afloat with the injuries and their depth. The Thunder are great everywhere. There's a reason they are going to win 70 games. [Jokić] is putting up a statistical anomaly in NBA history. It's Wilt Chamberlain-esque."

Even though one game probably wouldn't dramatically change the results, it would be interesting to know how things would have played out if voters were able to count Tuesday's games.

Jokić put up a 61-point triple-double in the Nuggets' 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Losing that game takes some of the shine away, but the fact it even got to a double-overtime when the Nuggets were playing without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. is a testament to how impactful he can be.

Gilgeous-Alexander will be a more-than-deserving MVP if he ends up winning the award.

The 26-year-old is the driving offensive engine for a Thunder team that has been locked into the No. 1 seed in the West since March 20. He leads the NBA in scoring (32.8 points per game) and is averaging a career-high 6.4 assists in 72 starts.

Kevin Durant (2013-14) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17) are the only Thunder players who have previously won the NBA MVP award.

If Jokić were to win, he would become the sixth player in NBA history with at least four MVP awards. The current group includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), LeBron James (four) and Wilt Chamberlain (four).