Who Is the 2021 NBA MVP?

The 2021 NBA MVP will be announced soon, and there are a few leading contenders for the award. Who do you think will take home the coveted prize?

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the reigning NBA MVP and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2019 and 2020. He is also a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Regular season stats

In the 2020-21 regular season, Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged a league-leading 27.7 points per game to go along with 11.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.1 steals in 51 games played. He shot 55.3% from the field, 29.5% from three-point range, and 73.5% from the foul line. His 28.8 player efficiency rating (PER) was also the best in the NBA.

Post-season stats

In the 2020–21 playoffs, Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. He averaged 27.7 points, 11 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the playoffs.

Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid is the current favorite to win the 2021 NBA MVP award. The Sixers star has had a dominant season, leading his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Embiid is averaging 28.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8 percent from the field. He is also one of the best defenders in the league, averaging 2.1 blocks per game.

Regular season stats

In 67 games, Embiid averaged 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting a career-high 52.3% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range. He was named an All-Star starter for the third consecutive year and was unanimously voted first-team All-NBA.

Post-season stats

In the 2020–21 post-season, Embiid averaged 27.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 blocks in 40 minutes per game, while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three-point range. His postseason scoring average was second only to Damian Lillard’s 31.8 points per game, while his 11.2 rebounds per game were the fourth most among all players in the playoffs. He also became just the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a single playoff series, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis.

Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic is the 2021 NBA MVP. He is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 7 feet tall, he plays the center position. He is the Nuggets’ franchise leader in triple-doubles.

Regular season stats

In 71 games during the 2020–21 NBA season, Jokić averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, while shooting .515 from the field and .387 from three-point range. He was one of only two players in the league (along with Russell Westbrook) to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game, and his 26.4 points per game were the most by a center since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000–01. Jokić was also one of only four players in NBA history (along with Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Westbrook) to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a season while shooting at least 50 percent from the field.

Post-season stats

In the 2020-21 post-season, Nikola Jokic is averaging 27.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3
steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from three-point range
and 85.2 percent from the free throw line. He’s also averaging a career-high 4.5 offensive
rebounds per game in the 2020-21 post-season.

LeBron James

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is the leading candidate for the 2021 NBA MVP award. James is averaging 25.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range. He is also leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Win Shares.

Regular season stats

In the 2020-2021 season, LeBron James averaged 25.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. He shot 50.4% from the field, 36.7% from three-point range, and 75.0% from the free throw line. He also had 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

Post-season stats

In the post-season, LeBron has led his teams to the NBA Finals 10 times, winning championships in 2020, 2021, 2016 and 2020. He has been named NBA Finals MVP four times (2012, 2013, 2016 and 2020), and he was the regular season MVP in 2009 and 2010. In 2021, he was named both the regular season and Finals MVP, becoming the first player in NBA history to win both awards in the same year.

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard has been one of the best players in the NBA for a few years now. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020, and he led the Toronto Raptors to an NBA Championship in 2019. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020, and he has helped them to the best record in the NBA. He is a two-time NBA Finals MVP, and he is the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP with two different teams. Leonard is a great two-way player, and he is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He is also a great scorer, and he is averaging 27.1 points per game this season.

Regular season stats

In 70 games, Leonard averaged 27.1 points (on 48.9% shooting), 7.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.8 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. His efficiency was off the charts, as he posted a career-high 61.2 true shooting percentage and a 30.5 player efficiency rating.

Post-season stats

In his first season with the Clippers, Leonard led the team to a 49–23 record and the second seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, Leonard averaged 27.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, as the Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round, before losing to the Denver Nuggets in seven games in the second round.

Chris Paul

The Los Angeles Clippers are currently the best team in the Western Conference. A big reason for that is the play of point guard Chris Paul. Paul is averaging 17.7 points, 9.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range. Paul is a big reason why the Clippers are one of the favorites to win the NBA title.

Regular season stats

In 74 games, Paul averaged a career-high 16.4 points to go with 8.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 34.9 minutes per game while shooting 48.9% from the field, 37.0% from three-point range and 86.2% from the free-throw line. He finished second in the league in assists behind only Russell Westbrook and led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.63).

Post-season stats

Chris Paul is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been an All-Star nine times, a member of the All-NBA Team nine times, and the NBA steals leader five times. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and has earned two Olympic gold medals playing for Team USA.

Paul was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and played college basketball for Wake Forest University. He was drafted fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005 and spent his first six seasons with them, where he helped lead the team to three playoff appearances. In 2011, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers but was then quickly traded to the Houston Rockets before playing a game for them. Paul spent four seasons with the Rockets before being traded to the Thunder in 2019.

In his post-season career, Chris Paul has averaged 18.5 points per game, 9.2 assists per game, and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is one of the best basketball players in the world. He is a point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder and is a nine-time NBA All-Star. Westbrook is one of the most explosive players in the NBA and is known for his high-flying dunks and incredible athleticism. He is also a very good defensive player and is one of the best rebounders in the league. In 2020, Westbrook won the NBA MVP Award.

Regular season stats

Russell Westbrook is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA All-Star, and he was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2017. In 2021, he was named one of the two co-MVPs of the NBA regular season.

Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game during the 2021 regular season. He led the league in assists per game and was second in scoring average behind only Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Westbrook also ranked in the top ten in the league in steals per game and blocks per game. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the eighth time in his career.

Post-season stats

Russell Westbrook is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. He is a nine-time NBA All-Star, and won an NBA MVP Award in 2017. He is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning back-to-back golds in 2010 and 2012.

Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the 2017 NBA season, becoming only the second player in NBA history to do so. He also set a record for the most triple-doubles in a season with 42. For his accomplishments, he was named the 2016–17 NBA MVP.