As Christmas nears, ESPN released its first NBA MVP straw poll. Every season, Tim Bontemps polls 100 media members across the league in a mock vote. He does this every one-third of the regular season.

Nearly two months into the NBA season, surprise playoff contenders have emerged, shocking franchise drama has unfolded and a new class of rookies has already made an impact. The top of the 2025-26 ...

However, Gilgeous-Alexander still beat out Jokic with a plus-15 in first-place votes, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “For the third straight time, Gilgeous-Alexander (57 first-place votes, 865 total points) ...