The wild four-man race for the NBA MVP award

MANILA, Philippines – It’s the wild, wild west in the NBA as four international superstars have made legitimate cases for the Most Valuable Player award.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic have led their respective teams to the top four of the Western Conference with only a couple of games remaining in the regular season. 

TOP DOG. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) after scoring against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images/Reuters

Back-to-back for SGA?

After leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the title and winning the MVP plum last season, Gilgeous-Alexander has not slowed down.

The Canadian star averages 31.1 points, which ranks second in the league, to go with 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals as the Thunder are on the verge of becoming the third team in the NBA history to win at least 65 games in consecutive seasons.

Only the Chicago Bulls (72 in 1995-96 and 69 in 1996-97) and the Golden State Warriors (67 in 2014-15, 73 in 2015-16, and 67 in 2016-17) have accomplished the rare feat.

The favorite to repeat as MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander can become just the 14th player to win the highest individual honor in back-to-back seasons and only the fifth active player to do so after Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James.

TWO-WAY STAR. San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images/Reuters

‘Alien’ invasion

Following six straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs have crashed the party, locking the second seed in the West behind the superb two-way play of Wembanyama.

Earning the moniker “Alien,” the 7-foot-4 French wunderkind averages 24.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks as the Spurs crossed the 60-win mark — a massive improvement after compiling just 56 wins in the last two seasons combined. 

The Spurs have posted the best record in the league since February 1, going 28-3 in that span. 

Wembanyama topped the last two weeks of the official MVP ladder and has a chance to become the youngest winner in NBA history at 22 years old after Derrick Rose, who was also 22 when he won the award in the 2010-11 season. 

On top of his MVP case, Wembanyama is also the runaway favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year honors as the anchor of the Spurs, who rank third in defensive rating in the entire league, only behind the Thunder and the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. 

ALL AROUND. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) gestures in the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing/Imagn Images/Reuters

Last laugh for ‘Joker’?

Jokic has proven time and time again that when he is on the court, magic happens as the Nuggets own the longest active win streak in the league at 10 games.

Over that stretch, the “Joker” put up 26.7 points, 14.3 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block to help the Nuggets move in position of clinching the third seed in the West, where they tote a 52-48 record. 

The Serbian big man averages 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.9 assists as he is on track of becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in average rebounds and assists in the same season and the second player to average a triple-double in consecutive seasons after Russell Westbrook.  

If Jokic is named MVP again following his triumphs in 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2023-24, he can join an elite club of legends who have won the award at least four times, including Abdul-Jabbar (6), Jordan and Russell (5), and Chamberlain and James (4). 

DAZZLING. Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic (77) shoots a free throw against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. David Reginek/Imagn Images/Reuters

Doncic magic

Ever since the shock trade that sent him to the Lakers, Doncic has been nothing but special for the purple and gold.

The Slovenian ace is set to win his second NBA scoring title as he averaged a league-best 33.5 points to go with 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in leading the Lakers to a 50-27 record before he went down with a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the regular season.

With Doncic showing the way, the Lakers went 15-2 in March, a spectacular month that saw him total a whopping 600 points, highlighted by seven games with at least 40 points, two games with at least 50 points, and a 60-point explosion. 

But Doncic is in danger of being ruled ineligible for the MVP and other end-of-season awards as he narrowly misses the 65-game threshold, having played in just 64 games before his injury. – with reports from Marcus Bandong/Rappler.com

Marcus Bandong is a Rappler intern from Far Eastern University.