LeBron James sees MVP odds improve slightly, still trailing Giannis

As LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers continue to go strong atop the Western Conference standings and other would-be MVP contenders have either been beset by injury or a shooting slump, LeBron is rising above the rest as the player with the best chance of keeping Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo from a second straight NBA MVP award.

According to new odds from the folks at BetOnline.Ag, LeBron has closed the gap between him and Antetokounmpo while Houston’s James Harden and Dallas’ Luka Doncic have seen their candidacy fade a little bit as of late. The biggest mover other than LeBron is Damian Lillard, who went from off the board to 18-1.

Giannis Antetokounmpo            2/3                    1/3

LeBron James                           8/1                    5/1

James Harden                           5/1                    6/1

Luka Doncic                             5/1                    6/1

Anthony Davis                          9/1                    18/1

Damian Lillard                           Off the Board    18/1

Kawhi Leonard                          33/1                  33/1

LeBron has led the NBA in assists all season and has shouldered a leadership role for the Lakers all season. LeBron’s leadership came into even greater focus over the past few weeks after he took it upon himself to lead Lakers Nation following the tragedy of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others.