As the NBA enters the halfway point in its regular season, talks of the league MVP have begun to gain momentum, and some key players have separated themselves from the rest of the pack as top contenders for the award.

    Denver Nuggets center, Nikola Jokic, currently stands at the top of the ranking for the 2022-23 MVP award. Jokic was the recipient of the award for the past two regular seasons, for his ability to work both sides of the court proved to be dominant. 

   Celtics’ forward Jayson Tatum currently holds the second spot behind Jokic, and 2013-14 MVP winner Kevin Durant recently rose to third on the list.

   The names of several other of the NBA’s top players have circulated in the MVP discussion, such as two-time MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. 

   Fans have been granted the power to vote for league MVP, though the fan winner may not receive the award at the end of the regular season.

   If Jokic takes the award yet again, this will be the first time a single player has won the award three consecutive years since Larry Bird’s three-peat from 1984-86. But despite Jokic’s steady place at the top of the poll, Durant has quietly worked his way back into the good graces of fans, despite his summer trade saga. 

   According to the New York Post, “[Durant] has spent the past month lifting the Nets near the top of the standings and himself into the MVP race.”

   According to ESPN, The Nets forward has averaged 29.7 points per game, which makes him the sixth-highest scorer in the league for this season. 

   Durant and the Nets may be on a hot streak and continue to approach the top of the Eastern Conference, but the highly competitive Boston Celtics stand in their way as the top team in the East. Durant and Tatum will continue to not only battle for the MVP award, but also for their chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the finals.

   With the back half of the NBA season still ahead, the league MVP has yet to be set in stone, and the fans will excitedly watch to see how players shift and how the race plays out.