Big men are en vogue in the NBA’s MVP race.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic captured the league’s most prestigious individual honor last season. Jokic was the first true center to win the award since 2003, when Tim Duncan won it in back-to-back seasons.
Before Jokic, 6-foot-11 Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo won consecutive MVPs in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. That interrupted a four-year reign for guards winning the award (Steph Curry twice, Russell Westbrook and James Harden).
This season, the MVP favorite at SI Sportsbook is a would-be first timer and, once again, a true center: Joel Embiid.