“MVP! MVP!” It’s the chant that echoes through arenas every time a fan-favorite delivers a game-changing moment. A chant reserved for those who leave their mark on the court, chasing the most coveted individual honor in the NBA. Winning the MVP award isn’t just about dominance in a single season—it’s about etching a name into history, standing out among 449 other players, and cementing a legacy.
As the 2024-25 season nears its climax, the MVP conversation is heating up. In the coming weeks, selected media members will cast their official votes to determine this year’s Most Valuable Player. But before the final decision is made, a recent straw poll has provided an early glimpse into the race—offering a snapshot of where the league’s top contenders currently stand.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon recently touched base on the second NBA MVP straw poll of the 2024-25 season, conducted this time by Tim Bontemps. While the top 4 names on the list haven’t changed from the last straw poll, the person heading the rankings has. After securing the second rank the first time around, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now moved ahead of Nikola Jokić as the frontrunner! This indicates that the odds have increased for the Oklahoma City Thunder guard to prevent the Serbian from receiving his 2nd consecutive MVP title, and 4th in just 5 years. Both Windhorst and McMahon admitted to having a role in this change.
“With nothing against Jokic, I did vote for Shai. For first in this” said Windhorst. To which McMahon added “Yeah, and so did I. And, look, say what you want, if it’s even, I’m going with a guy who hadn’t won it yet, and the guy whose team is by far, you know, the best team of the Western Conference.”
Windy and MacMahon give their votes in the ESPN straw poll. Conscious, deliberate voter fatigue
Raising the quoted tweet again. If their positions were swapped and it’s as they say “a tie” – they’d be making whatever argument they needed to make to support voting for SGA. https://t.co/srPEUb6tDK pic.twitter.com/eBHgVtvhgV
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) February 14, 2025
As it turns out, however, the NBA community wasn’t that interested in either of the two players’ selections. Instead, they were more interested in discussing the 6th-ranking player on the straw poll: LeBron James.
NBA community applauds LeBron James for making the Top 10 MVP Ranking: “Year 22. Age 40”
One social media user did not have to name LeBron James for fans to realize who he was talking about. After all, he had praised the Lakers star by writing “Year 22. Age 40. Ol Cigar lungs wasn’t doin anything close to this. GOAT for a reason…”
Year 22. Age 40
Ol Cigar lungs wasn’t doin anything close to this.
GOAT for a reason…
— LeGOAT James (@LBJgoat_talk) February 14, 2025
The ‘Cigar Lungs’ line was a reference to no one other than Michael Jordan. After all, the Chicago Bulls legend was notorious for smoking a cigar before every single home game, from 1993 onwards. In fact, according to reports, Jordan spent between $550,000 and $940,000 on cigars during his playing days!
This is a developing story.
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