2026 NBA Finals MVP odds: New favorite emerges with shocking Knicks-Spurs billing
It’s Victor Wembanyama’s world right now, and everyone else is living in it.The NBA’s larger-than-life superstar center has emerged on the NBA Finals stage as the biggest draw the league has seen in years.The 7-foot-5 Alien has defied logic for the entire NBA Playoffs and enters the NBA Finals as the odds-on favorite to win the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award.
It would be a considerable accomplishment for such a young player, but a familiar occurrence for a San Antonio franchise steeped in Finals glory.Tim Duncan won his first Finals MVP award in 1999 at age 23, and Kawhi Leonard won Finals at age 22 during their 2014 championship run.
Wembanyama, however, would be the youngest Finals MVP winner since Magic Johnson, who was a 20-year-old rookie when he took home the honors in 1980.While it’s clearly Wembanyama’s world, Knicks Nation will have its eyes on Jalen Brunson.The Knicks captain has the second-shortest odds to win Finals MVP at +210.Brunson has maintained his scoring numbers this postseason while playing more off the ball and facilitating when the play calls for it.A win for Brunson would place him on a short list of guards 6-foot-3 and under to take home MVP honors: Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Jo Jo White, and Jerry West.
The drop from the top two players is remarkable.Karl-Anthony Towns, who is having the best postseason of any player this year based on advanced metrics, is 22-1 to win Finals MVP.
His ability to operate as an offensive hub raised the Knicks’ ceiling in the first round and is a large part of the reason the team is in the championship round.OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges also put their fingerprints on nearly every matchup during the 11-game win streak with efficient offense and suffocating defense.Anunoby is 60-1 and Bridges is 150-1.
On the Spurs’ side, Stephon Castle has been a two-way force for the Spurs, especially in the Thunder series as the main assignment on Shai Gilgeous...