2025 NBA Finals MVP Odds: Tatum's Time in '25?

Jayson Tatum infamously was outshined by Jaylen Brown in last year's NBA Finals, but he's the 2025 Finals MVP odds favorite as Boston is the favorite to win yet again.

Jared Hochman - Content Manager at Covers.com
Jared Hochman • Content Manager
Nov 5, 2024 • 12:13 ET • 3 min read
NBA Finals MVP odds Jayson Tatum
Photo By - Imagn Images. Pictured: Celtics star Jayson Tatum in NBA action.

We're still in the early stages of the 2024-25 NBA regular season, but it's never too early to peek ahead to who can win the NBA title... and also who is leading the NBA Finals MVP odds.

There is so much that can (and will) happen before NBA odds to win the championship come to fruition, but we do have prices up for who will claim Finals MVP — and, unsurprisingly, the title favorites are well represented.

2025 NBA Finals MVP odds

Player DraftKings
Celtics Jayson Tatum +600
Celtics Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +800
Celtics Jaylen Brown +900
Celtics Luka Doncic +1200
Knicks Jalen Brunson +1200
76ers Joel Embiid +1300
Nuggets Nikola Jokic +1600
Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo +1800
Timberwolves Anthony Edwards +1800

Odds as of 11-5

NBA Finals MVP favorites

It's no surprise that teams with the best NBA Finals odds will be closely correlated to having the Finals MVP — and that's exactly what we see here.

The Celtics are the clear favorites to repeat, so their two big dogs — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — are also No. 1 and No. 3 on the odds board.

The person splitting those two? Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander... aka the leader of the favorite to win the Western Conference and No. 2 overall title favorite.

The Knicks are third on the NBA title odds board, so Jalen Brunson comes in next, tied with Luka Doncic from Dallas (fifth favorite) and then Joel Embiid, whose Sixers team is still fourth on the odds board to win the Larry O-B. 

NBA Finals MVP odds explained

Sportsbooks will post NBA Finals MVP odds as early as the beginning of the playoffs. These NBA futures are constantly adjusted throughout the postseason depending on how well players perform, in accordance with their team's success. Sportsbooks will also adjust the NBA Awards odds based on handle and liability to certain players.

NBA Finals MVP odds will usually look like this:

  • Jayson Tatum +410

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to profit $410 if Tatum takes home the NBA Finals MVP Award. If it's close to the end of the NBA Finals and a player has stood out as the obvious MVP of the series, they'll have a minus sign (-) ahead of their odds like this: 

  • Jaylen Brown -155

This means that if you bet on Brown to win Finals MVP, you would have needed to bet $155 to profit $100.

All of the odds listed above are in American format, but if you prefer decimal or fractional odds, simply plug them into our odds converter tool.

NBA Finals MVP trends

Here are some trends you'll want to keep in mind when placing a bet on NBA Finals MVP:

  • Only one player (Jerry West, 1969) has ever won Finals MVP on the losing team.

  • Nikola Jokic's 2023 Finals MVP win was the first by a center since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.

  • Forwards have won 10 of the past 12 Finals MVPs.

Previous NBA Finals MVP award winners

The adage of needing versatile forwards in today's NBA rings especially true when looking at the recent Finals MVP winners. Despite Giannis being one of the most position-amorphous players in NBA history, eight of the past 10 Finals MVPs have been, at least by most definitions, forwards.

Year Player Team
2024 Jaylen Brown Celtics Boston Celtics
2023 Nikola Jokic Browns Denver Nuggets
2022 Stephen Curry Browns Golden State Warriors
2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo Browns Milwaukee Bucks
2020 LeBron James Browns Los Angeles Lakers
2019 Kawhi Leonard Browns Toronto Raptors
2018 Kevin Durant Browns Golden State Warriors
2017 Kevin Durant Browns Golden State Warriors
2016 LeBron James Browns Cleveland Cavaliers
2015 Andre Iguodala Browns Golden State Warriors

Best NBA Finals MVP betting sites

Scouting basketball betting websites should be a breeze, but new bettors often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available. Here are the must-have basketball betting site features you should target before placing your wagers.

Best odds: Not all sportsbooks are created equally, especially when it comes to odds. Finding the best price for your basketball bets is key to a successful betting strategy. 

Live betting: Watching betting lines move in real-time and comparing statistics allows you to jump into the action at just the right moment.

Fast payouts: Accessing your hard-earned funds shouldn't feel like breaking a full-court press. It's important to choose a sportsbook that offers fast and reliable money withdrawals post-game.

Safe money transactions: The days of placing bets with bookies in shadowy back rooms are long over. Major online sportsbooks boast state-of-the-art security measures like SSL data encryption, and each holds a legal operating license from registered authorities.

Best NBA Finals MVP betting promos

Betting boosts are special promotions offered by legal sports betting sites that increase the odds for a specific game, event, or prop, designed to give you better value on your bets or encourage you to sign up for a new sportsbook with unique rewards and offerings.

They can be a great way for bettors to get better value for their wagers, as the odds are temporarily increased, thereby increasing a potential payout. The promotions are usually limited to a specific period and are subject to terms and conditions, so it's always important to read the fine print for more details.

Types of odds boosts

There are a number of different types of betting boosts available, with some targeting specific games, some aimed at specific leagues, and some just enticing users to try a new sportsbook. Here are the most common types of betting boosts:

  • Odds boost: When a sportsbook enhances the value of a specifically chosen player prop or a curated parlay/SGP, offering better odds than if you normally bet or created the wager yourself.

  • Profit boosts: When you are given a token that increases the value of any bet you want (such as a 25% boost on one Super Bowl bet). Sometimes these tokens are for all bets, while sometimes they have specific criteria (such parlays/SGPs only or bets above a certain price).

  • Sign-up offers: Operators offer benefits such as free bonus bets after your first wager, bonus bets offered as insurance if your first bet loses, an initial account deposit match, or even giving you discounts on other services for signing up with a sportsbook.

Take advantage of our best NBA Finals betting promos — from our best NBA Finals betting sites — to see if any other promotions appear that you can place a wager on!

NBA Finals MVP Odds FAQs

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Jared Hochman Content Manager at Covers.com
Content Manager

Before Jared Hochman joined the Covers team in 2020, he worked for newspaper outlets such as the Chronicle Herald and The Coast, worked in marketing for SkipTheDishes and Vivid Seats, and previously ran a magazine. A journalism graduate from the University of King's College in, Halifax, N.S., "Hoch" brings more than a decade of experience in sports betting, having worked as a freelance handicapper, making appearances on Monumental Sports Network and the Sharp 600 podcast, and now also filling in occasionally as host of Covers' NHL Puck Props. 

Awarded Covers' company MVP for 2023, Jared is an avid bettor of MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA, while also wagering on some soccer and WNBA. His best advice for sports bettors? Price shop — something he does daily across 10 different sportsbook apps.

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