2024 Olympic odds: LeBron James favored for Olympic MVP; Wagner makes leap
There is an ongoing MVP race between the best hoopers in the world — and for the first time in what feels like forever, Nikola Jokic is not one of the favorites.
As the men's Olympic basketball tournament reaches the semis, the odds are shifting for tournament MVP.
Let's take a look at the odds as of Aug. 7 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
LeBron James: -170 (bet $10 to win $15.88 total)
Kevin Durant: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Anthony Edwards: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Franz Wagner: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Dennis Schroder: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Nikola Jokic: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Victor Wembanyama: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Atop the board is a face familiar with being recognized as the Most Valuable Player in the NBA, but not on the international scale.
It's possible that's because the award has only been awarded twice: Athens 2004 (Manu Ginobili) and Tokyo 2020 (Durant).
James went to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but the USA finished third. James did not play in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Through four games, Team USA is 4-0, as it prepares for a semifinal matchup with Serbia on Thursday.
James is leading the American squad in minutes per game (20.5) and assists per game (7.8). He is third in points per game (13.8) and rebounds per game (5.8).
Currently leading the team in scoring is Edwards (16.8 in 18.7 minutes per game), followed by Durant (14.8 in 19.6 minutes per game).
In terms of non-American players in MVP contention, Wagner is fourth on the board for 4-0 Germany. He is averaging 20.8 points and 4.5 rebounds so far in the Olympics.
Jokic — winner of three of the last four NBA MVP awards — is sixth on the board. He is averaging 19.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists for 3-1 Serbia.
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