Al Horford's sister Anna Horford makes feelings known on Celtics' $313.9M star not dominating MVP ladder

Anna Horford, the sister of Boston Celtics center Al Horford, gave a direct opinion on why Jayson Tatum isn't ranked first in the NBA MVP race. Tatum, who averages 28.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, is the best player for the defending champions, who are No. 2 in the Eastern Conference.

Reposting a graphic showing the NBA MVP ladder, which placed Tatum fourth, Anna expressed her frustration on X (formerly Twitter):

“Only reason Jayson isn’t #1 is because you guys are f*cking haters.”

The MVP voting is carried out by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from the U.S. and Canada.

This panel consists of 100 voters, selected by the NBA. Each voter ranks their top five MVP choices, awarding points on a 10-7-5-3-1 scale for each player. The player with the highest total points is awarded the MVP.

In the latest ladder, Nikola Jokic held the top spot, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MVP voting takes place at the end of the regular season, with the winner announced during the playoffs. The award is typically based on individual statistics, team success and overall impact on the league.

Jayson Tatum is the Celtics’ highest-paid player. His five-year, $313,933,410 contract kicks in next season.

While he is the Celtics' No. 1 option, he didn’t win the Finals MVP last year, as the award went to Jaylen Brown.

Tatum’s best finish in MVP voting came in the 2022-23 season, when he finished fourth. He has also placed sixth twice, in 2021-22 and 2023-24.

Jayson Tatum ranks 4th in ESPN’s MVP straw poll

ESPN conducts a straw poll for MVP, which mimics the NBA’s voting process.

In the latest ESPN straw poll, Jayson Tatum ranked fourth in the MVP race, trailing Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Jokic received 57 first-place votes, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo garnered 24 and 19, respectively. No other player received a first-place vote.

Jayson Tatum earned three second-place votes, 13 third-place votes, 51 fourth-place votes and 28 fifth-place votes, receiving votes from 95 out of the 100 voters.

The MVP race is largely driven by popularity, with voters considering both statistics and narratives. However, there is no strict criteria for determining the winner, as various factors — such as the best stats, the best player on the top team and so on — are all taken into account.