Who votes for NBA MVP? Closer look at selection process for Michael Jordan trophy winner

The NBA MVP award has become a polarizing award in recent seasons, as fans akways have something to say about it. Every season, a host of players give their all to win this honor, however, only one can take it home at the end of the campaign.

Since the 2022-23 season, the best player in the NBA receives the Michael Jordan Trophy, named after the Chicago Bulls legend, who was a five-time MVP himself while becoming one of the best players ever. Joel Embiid won the revamped award in 2023. Before this, the trophy was named after former NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff.

Many people wonder how the process of deciding who's the NBA MVP award recipient unfolds and who has a vote on who wins the prize. Here's a detailed explanation on how the NBA MVP award winner is selected.

Who votes for NBA MVP?

Until the 1979-80 season, NBA players were in charge of voting for the MVP award. In the following campaign, the league decided to change this and gave the responsibility to a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters across the United States and Canada.

The process to vote for MVP consists of 100 media members voting for their top 5 candidates. The first-place votes are worth 10 points, the second-place votes are worth seven points, the third-place votes are worth five points, the fourth-place votes are worth three points and the fifth-place votes are worth one point.

The player with the most cumulative points wins the award.

Who are the strongest candidates to win the MVP award this season?

After a season with several stars showing up for their teams, three players were named finalists to win the NBA MVP trophy. Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are the shortlisted candidates this season.

Luka Doncic's game improved this season, with the Slovenian star averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game in 70 matchups for the Dallas Mavericks. He took his team to the No. 5 seed in the West, which could hurt his case against the other two candidates.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took his team from the No. 10 overall spot last season to the top position in the West standings this season. The Canadian guard played 75 games, averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game for the OKC Thunder.

Last but not least, Nikola Jokic once again proved that he's an elite player in the NBA, playing even better than last season when he won his first NBA championship. The Serbian center played in 79 games, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game with the Denver Nuggets.

All season long, these three engaged in fierce competition. Now, it's time to know who takes the MVP award. Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander would win their first MVP award, while this could be Jokic's third MVP award.