Alright, sports fans, brace yourselves. The votes are IN, the wait is OVER, and the NBA has officially crowned its 2024-25 Most Valuable Player! Man, this season was an absolute rollercoaster. So, who’s the winner? Oklahoma City Thunder’s main dude, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is the man! If you saw him play, you understand that this man was exceptionally skilled and played with remarkable finesse. Honestly, you can’t even argue with it.

But what about the other familiar faces? The household names and the new kids on the block? Did LeBron, Steph, and Ant-Man get any recognition in the MVP vote count?

How many votes did Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Edwards get?

First up, LeBron James. Still dominating in his 22nd season (yeah, you read that right, his longevity is astounding), ‘King James’ continues to perform at an elite level. He landed in sixth place. Pretty solid, if you ask me. He got one vote for fourth and thirteen for fifth. That’s his 20th season getting MVP nods. Twenty!

Then there’s Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ wizard, known for his incredible three-point shooting. Steph, doing his usual impressive things, ended up ninth. He didn’t snag any top votes, but got a couple for fifth place. For a 37-year-old to still be in the MVP chatter just goes on to show that his talent remains truly distinct.

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And what about Minnesota’s walking highlight reel, Anthony Edwards? ANT had an absolutely electrifying season. He eliminated both LeBron and Steph from the playoffs. In the MVP voting, Edwards tied for seventh place with Detroit’s Cade Cunningham – pretty good company to be honest. He was also able to grab two fourth-place votes and six fifth-place votes, which added up to a total of 12 points. That’s a really strong showing for the 23-year-old.

Nikola Jokic and Giannis Make History despite losing out on MVP status

Even though Nikola Jokic didn’t wear the MVP crown this time, he still achieved some historic milestones. Finishing second means the Joker is now in a very small group with only two other NBA legends (Bill Russell and Larry Bird) to be top-two in MVP voting for five (or more!) years straight. That’s an incredibly exclusive accomplishment! Oh, and he also became the first guy ever to be in the league’s top three for points, rebounds, AND assists all in one season. Just… wow. An almost unbelievable statistical dominance.

And Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s Greek powerhouse? He landed third. This was his seventh year in a row in the top four. Seventh! That’s pure, consistent, monster-level performance.

The world takes over the NBA? Or is the NBA taking over the World? Plot Twist!

So, let’s connect the dots: SGA from Canada is #1. Jokic from Serbia is #2. Giannis, with roots in Greece and Nigeria, is #3. For the fourth year running, no player born in the USA got a single first-place MVP vote. Chew on that for a second. The game has certainly become more international.

For ages, American players were the main characters in the NBA story. Now, the MVP stage features a prominent international presence. What’s the deal? Maybe the rest of the world just got really good at basketball, developing highly skilled players. You see Jokic play – his intelligent passes, his anticipatory thinking. His court vision and decision-making are exceptional. He often showcases a beautiful yet effective style of play that isn’t always centered on pure athleticism.

So maybe this shows that all those NBA camps and clinics around the globe are finally yielding significant results. It’s as if years of investment in global basketball development have cultivated a new generation of international superstars. That’s a pretty cool outcome, right? This “global glow-up” is real and it’s dazzling.

One thing’s for sure: this is not a one-time thing. SGA, Jokic, Giannis, and that other wizard, Luka Dončić – these guys from all over are going to be the names everyone’s talking about for a long, long time. American stars like Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, and Cade Cunningham are definitely in the mix and ready to compete. But the idea of only U.S. players being the “best in the world”? That chapter might be closed for good.

And you know what? For anyone who just loves watching amazing humans do amazing things with a basketball, no matter where they learned to dribble? It makes the whole NBA game more surprising, more colorful, and way more fun. What a time to be a fan! The energy’s good, and the future’s looking like a trip around the world.