With the 2022 NBA Finals on the horizon, sharp bettors already have their eye on the latest odds for Finals MVP. It’s no surprise Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum are the favorites, but several other key players currently provide value betting opportunities.
Superstars don’t always win the Bill Russell Award. The most notable recent example was Andre Iguodala being named Finals MVP in 2015. Iggy was a long shot to win at the start of the series with 125-1 odds, but he took home the honors thanks to timely scoring and strong defensive play. The same thing could happen in this year’s Finals given the number of important role players for each of the remaining three teams.
Below, we’ll break down the top players and some of our favorite sleepers to win the Finals MVP. It’s important to note that odds will change – perhaps drastically – once we know whether the Heat or Celtics will square off with the Warriors.
2022 NBA Finals MVP odds: Favorites
All odds courtesy of Sports Interaction
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors (-118)
Curry has surprisingly not won a Finals MVP despite playing an instrumental role in the Warriors’ three championships. However, this could be the year the superstar point guard takes home the award.
Curry has averaged 26.5 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in 28 games in the NBA Finals. The 34-year-old sharpshooter has been outstanding in this year’s playoffs, producing 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.9 rebounds. It might not seem like there’s much value on Curry right now, but his odds will only go up if he has a good Game 1, as he’s easily the most likely Warrior to take home the honors.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (+157)
If you want to grab a plus-money play for Finals MVP, then look no further than Tatum. This season, Tatum has taken his game to another level and has Boston on the verge of making the NBA Finals.
The All-NBA first-team forward is averaging 26.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in the playoffs. Tatum has consistently shown us that he’s not afraid of the moment, and we should expect him to show up on the biggest stage. The Celtics will likely need Tatum to have a big series in order to win the title, so he makes a lot of sense if you like Boston’s chances.
2022 NBA Finals MVP odds: Sleepers
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (+698)
Boston will also need Brown to produce in order to knock off the Warriors. He’s played well this postseason, averaging 23.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
Brown is also shooting well from behind the arc in the postseason at 39.6 percent on 6.6 attempts per game. With all of the defensive attention on Tatum, Brown will have numerous opportunities to take games over. Perhaps he’s too good of a player to be considered a “sleeper,” but given his current odds, he still offers legit value.
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (+1122)
If the Warriors want to win the NBA Finals, they’re going to need Thompson to be their second or third scorer. It’s strange to categorize Thompson as a “sleeper” based on what we’ve seen from him over his career in the playoffs, but he has greater than 10-1 odds to potentially capture the award.
Thompson is averaging 18.8 points per game in the 27 NBA Finals games in his career. He’s also shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from three-point range on 7.7 attempts per game. We know he still can light up in a hurry as he did in the series-clinching win against the Grizzlies in the Western semis (30 points, 8-for-14 from three).
Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors (+2895)
It would be a mild shocker to see Wiggins win the Finals MVP, but based on his play this postseason, it’s not out of the question. The former No. 1 overall pick is playing aggressively and looking like the all-around star everyone expected him to be.
Wiggins has inserted himself well as the Warriors’ third or sometimes fourth scoring option, depending on the play of Thompson and Jordan Poole. The 27-year-old wing is producing 15.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the playoffs for Golden State and has delivered some memorable offensive and defensive highlights.
2022 NBA Finals MVP odds: Long shots
Robert Williams, Boston Celtics (+14800)
When healthy in the playoffs, Williams has found ways to impact the game on offense and defense. The 24-year-old center missed a large portion of the Eastern semis due to a left knee injury, but he’s been effective against the Heat, averaging 10.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
The second-team All-Defense selection gives the Celtics game-changing athleticism that could play a significant role against the undersized Warriors. If Williams controls the paint and boards in a low-scoring series, he has a shot.
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat (+8760)
Adebayo is going to need to be a force in the middle, especially if the Heat want to win their first NBA title since the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh era. His performance in the postseason has been up and down, but when he’s playing well, he can easily produce double-doubles and provide a monster defensive presence.
Betting on Adebayo with the Heat down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals presents an obvious risk, but if Miami even wins Game 6, never mind Game 7, his odds will noticeably shorten.
Full list of odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals MVP
| Player | Team | Odds |
| Stephen Curry | Warriors | -118 |
| Jayson Tatum | Celtics | +157 |
| Jaylen Brown | Celtics | +698 |
| Klay Thompson | Warriors | +1122 |
| Draymond Green | Warriors | +1160 |
| Jordan Poole | Warriors | +2023 |
| Jimmy Butler | Heat | +2061 |
| Andrew Wiggins | Warriors | +2895 |
| Marcus Smart | Celtics | +3449 |
| Al Horford | Celtics | +5910 |
| Bam Adebayo | Heat | +8760 |
| Robert Williams | Celtics | +14800 |
| Grant Williams | Celtics | +16400 |
| Kyle Lowry | Heat | +41200 |
| Tyler Herro | Heat | +41200 |
| Victor Oladipo | Heat | +42900 |
Past NBA Finals MVP winners
Table courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com
| Season | Player | Team |
| 2020-21 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL |
| 2019-20 | LeBron James | LAL |
| 2018-19 | Kawhi Leonard | TOR |
| 2017-18 | Kevin Durant | GSW |
| 2016-17 | Kevin Durant | GSW |
| 2015-16 | LeBron James | CLE |
| 2014-15 | Andre Iguodala | GSW |
| 2013-14 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS |
| 2012-13 | LeBron James | MIA |
| 2011-12 | LeBron James | MIA |
| 2010-11 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL |
| 2009-10 | Kobe Bryant | LAL |
| 2008-09 | Kobe Bryant | LAL |
| 2007-08 | Paul Pierce | BOS |
| 2006-07 | Tony Parker | SAS |
| 2005-06 | Dwyane Wade | MIA |
| 2004-05 | Tim Duncan | SAS |
| 2003-04 | Chauncey Billups | DET |
| 2002-03 | Tim Duncan | SAS |
| 2001-02 | Shaquille O’Neal | LAL |
| 2000-01 | Shaquille O’Neal | LAL |
| 1999-00 | Shaquille O’Neal | LAL |
| 1998-99 | Tim Duncan | SAS |
| 1997-98 | Michael Jordan | CHI |
| 1996-97 | Michael Jordan | CHI |
| 1995-96 | Michael Jordan | CHI |
| 1994-95 | Hakeem Olajuwon | HOU |
| 1993-94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | HOU |
| 1992-93 | Michael Jordan | CHI |
| 1991-92 | Michael Jordan | CHI |
| 1990-91 | Michael Jordan | CHI |
| 1989-90 | Isiah Thomas | DET |
| 1988-89 | Joe Dumars | DET |
| 1987-88 | James Worthy | LAL |
| 1986-87 | Magic Johnson | LAL |
| 1985-86 | Larry Bird | BOS |
| 1984-85 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | LAL |
| 1983-84 | Larry Bird | BOS |
| 1982-83 | Moses Malone | PHI |
| 1981-82 | Magic Johnson | LAL |
| 1980-81 | Cedric Maxwell | BOS |
| 1979-80 | Magic Johnson | LAL |
| 1978-79 | Dennis Johnson | SEA |
| 1977-78 | Wes Unseld | WSB |
| 1976-77 | Bill Walton | POR |
| 1975-76 | Jo Jo White | BOS |
| 1974-75 | Rick Barry | GSW |
| 1973-74 | John Havlicek | BOS |
| 1972-73 | Willis Reed | NYK |
| 1971-72 | Wilt Chamberlain | LAL |
| 1970-71 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | MIL |
| 1969-70 | Willis Reed | NYK |
| 1968-69 | Jerry West | LAL |