Jalen Brunson has entered the top five of the Kia MVP Ladder following his strong performance in the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, where the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the championship. The top three spots remain unchanged, with Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Dončić holding steady. Victor Wembanyama also rises after leading the Spurs to the final.
The latest Kia MVP Ladder, released on December 19, 2025, highlights the impact of the Emirates NBA Cup on individual award considerations. Jalen Brunson jumps from sixth to fourth place, credited for guiding the Knicks to the tournament title. His season averages stand at 28.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. In December, Brunson is averaging nearly 30 points, shooting 50% from the field and 39.2% from three-point range. He sealed a victory with a game-winning shot against the Indiana Pacers in his first game post-Cup.
Nikola Jokić maintains the top spot for the Denver Nuggets, leading his team in scoring (29.6 points), rebounds (12.3), assists (10.9), and steals, while shooting 61% from the field. He has recorded 13 triple-doubles in 25 games and is averaging 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in December, helping the short-handed Nuggets climb Western Conference standings.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holds second for the Oklahoma City Thunder with 32.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. He scored 32 points in 29 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, preserving energy for the season's length.
Luka Dončić remains third for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 35.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. Despite a rare off-night against the Phoenix Suns, he responded with a 45-point triple-double and five steals versus the Utah Jazz.
Cade Cunningham slips to fifth for the Detroit Pistons, with 27.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 9.2 assists, as the Knicks close in on the Pistons in the East.
The next five include Victor Wembanyama at sixth for the Spurs, Jaylen Brown at seventh for the Boston Celtics, Alperen Şengün at eighth for the Houston Rockets, Anthony Edwards at ninth for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Tyrese Maxey at tenth for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Additional contenders are Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks.
The ladder underscores the importance of team success for MVP candidates, noting that only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award with a losing team, the 1975-76 Lakers at 40-42. Upcoming Christmas Day games feature many top-ranked players, including Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dončić, Brunson, Wembanyama, Edwards, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jamal Murray, and Donovan Mitchell.
A quote from Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch explains Anthony Edwards' role: “We don’t need Ant to be the point guard in the classic sense. We need him to be himself, get us in and out of our structure, push the pace a little bit more. Largely he has done a good job with that. We don’t need him to make this shift over to being John Stockton.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's stat line shows he went 2-0 in Game 7s last postseason but is 1-2 in Las Vegas during the NBA Cup, the only major prize missing from his resume.
