Despite all the drama surrounding NBA stars' injuries and availability this season, the peak of the MVP race hasn't changed.
For now.
In ESPN's second MVP poll of the 2025-26 season, a current snapshot of the race using a panel of 100 local, national and international media members surveyed this week, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander increased his lead over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Gilgeous-Alexander earned 78 first-place votes and was the only player included on all 100 ballots.
The reigning MVP, who also earned 20 second-place votes and two third-place votes, is in the midst of another stellar season, averaging 31.8 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 55.4% from the field for the Western Conference-leading Thunder.
SGA's lead has increased despite the defending champions falling since our first survey was published in mid-December. The Thunder were once on pace to win more than 70 games, but injuries have brought them back to earth; They are 17-13 after a spectacular 24-1 start to the season. That included a recent abdominal injury to Gilgeous-Alexander, who has already missed seven games and will miss at least a few more after the team announced Thursday that he will be re-evaluated in a week.
Such a drop in form would have opened the door to top competition for Gilgeous-Alexander, but in what has been a theme this season, injuries have dramatically changed the awards landscape.
Jokic maintained his second-place finish (18 first-place votes), but the bone bruise he suffered in late December that left him unconscious for nearly a month has clearly stalled his MVP bid.
That certainly doesn't mean Jokic has no chance of winning. His stat line (28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game while shooting 59% overall, 42% from three-point range and 84% from the free throw line) certainly helps, although his margin for error has narrowed. If Jokic misses two more games, he will be ineligible for MVP and all season-ending awards. That would end a streak of five consecutive top-two finishes in MVP voting, trailing Boston Celtics legends Bill Russell and Larry Bird for the most of all time.
Jokic has plenty of company on the 65-game clock. San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama jumped from eighth place in the December poll to fourth with three first-place votes and garnered 75 votes. But Wembanyama has missed 13 games (he actually missed 14, but is credited with the NBA Cup title game), meaning he can only miss four for the rest of the season.
But in his third season, the French phenom has been tremendous again, averaging 24.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and a league-leading 2.7 blocks per game. If he stays healthy, and if San Antonio can make up the three games they currently trail OKC for first place in the West, Wembanyama could replicate the 2022-23 run, when Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's late surge earned him the MVP over Jokic.
Meanwhile, the fifth-ranked player in the poll, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, has already missed 12 games. Two other vote-getters, LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (missed 13 games) and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (missed 10 games), could see their eligibility jeopardized with another injury. And that doesn't count Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James, who have already fallen below the 65-game requirement. (Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry did not receive any votes in the polls and is two games away from being ineligible for the award.)
But all the injuries at the top have created opportunities for other players. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, who finished third with a first-place vote, has been the driving force behind Detroit's remarkable season that has the Pistons atop the conference and heading for home-field advantage in the first round for the first time since 2008.
And with Jayson Tatum still sidelined (though potentially close to returning) due to the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in last year's playoffs, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has continued his remarkable campaign, finishing sixth in the poll. Considering Brown ranked ninth in the December poll, his jump is a nod to both his impressive play and the poor Celtics who entered the All-Star break in second place in the East.
Rounding out the ballot was a trio of Eastern Stars: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (11 total votes, 27 total points, seventh place), New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (seven total votes, 17 total points, ninth place) and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (four total votes, 10 total points, 10th place).
