Former Nuggets Coach Mike Malone Gives Surprising Take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for NBA MVP

Posted on: May 21, 2025, 01:01h. 

Last updated on: May 22, 2025, 01:34h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.
  • The NBA MVP Award will be announced tonight on TNT
  • Oklahoma Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the betting favourite
  • Nikolia Jokic’s former coach Mike Malone makes eyebrow-raising comments on ESPN

If former Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone has any say, Nikola Jokic, the star player he formerly coached won’t be named NBA MVP on Wednesday night.

The NBA MVP Award will be announced Wednesday evening, with the Oklahoma Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the betting favourite. (Image: Shutterstock)

The announcement of the best player through the 82-game regular season will be made at 7 pm EST on TNT. 

Oddsmakers see the contest as a two-way race now with Jokic and Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the point guard currently pacing his Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Oklahoma leads the series 1-0 after Tuesday night’s 114-88 win. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the third candidate.

Jokic has won league MVP three times in his career (2021, 2022, 2024). Gilgeous-Alexander has never won it. 

Malone was fired in a shocking move by the Nuggets on April 8 – on the eve of the playoffs.

MVP Announcement Tonight

Malone moved to ESPN as a playoff analyst and raised eyebrows with this comment on Tuesday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — he showed why he’s the MVP,” Malone said while analysing the game. “He took over in the second half. He did so in a very efficient manner.  He put the team on his back when they needed him to do so.”

The NBA MVP is chosen by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, who cast votes for their top five candidates.

Speaking about Jokic back in March, Malone told The Athletic “Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a great player, and if he wins his first MVP, he’s deserving of that. My thing is this: if you didn’t know that Nikola won three MVPs, and I put Player A and Player B on paper … the guy that was averaging a triple-double, the guy that is top three in the three major statistical categories, things that no one has ever done, he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10.”

Bitterness or New Perspective?

Is Malone feeling bitter over his firing? Who knows?

Maybe he just has a new perspective after a few weeks of sitting in a broadcast booth.

Either way, Gilgeous-Alexander has put up great numbers this season, winning the NBA’s scoring title (averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and five rebounds per game, with a 51.9% field goal percentage) and leading the Thunder to a dominating 68-14 record.

At ESPN BET, Gilgeous-Alexander is seeing 10.2% of bets, 39.7% of handle to be named MVP, while Jokic is at 34.8% of bets, 32.9% of handle. Antetokounmpo is at 5.6% of bets, 2.8% of handle.

Jokic is +1000 at BetMGM (26.9% of tickets, 26.8% of handle), while Gilgeous-Alexander is at -3000 (8.9% of tickets, 29.3% of handle). Antetokounmpo is off the board at BetMGM.