By Mark Strotman | Aug 27th, 2019 | 4 mins

FIBA World Cup 2019 MVP Odds, Betting Tips and Value Picks

The FIBA Basketball World Cup MVP has been given out since 1950 when Oscar Furlong took home the honors for Argentina. Of the 17 winners of the MVP, 11 have also won the gold medal for their respective country. That combination is becoming more frequent, as six of the last seven MVPs since 1990 have also won gold. Only Dirk Nowitzki in 2002, who won the bronze for Germany, failed to bring home the FIBA title during his MVP campaign.

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With that in mind, here are the three best bets (and a darkhorse) to win FIBA MVP in China.

FIBA World Cup 2019 MVP Picks

Nikola Jokic, Serbia, +600

If Walker is the best player on the best team, Jokic is the best player on the second-best team. Serbia has a serious shot of knocking off the two-time reigning champs, and Jokic is the main reason why. He was built for international basketball. He’s 7-feet tall, he can shoot from beyond the arc, he can rebound and is maybe the tournament’s best passer. If Serbia upsets the Americans, Jokic will be the headliner. He’s our favorite value pick on the board.

Kemba Walker, USA, +250

Walker is the best player on the tournament’s best team. That’s been the recipe for each of the last three FIBA winners (Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2014 and 2010, respectively; Pau Gasol in 2006). The Americans don’t tout the same firepower they’ve had each of the last two FIBA World Cups, but Walker isn’t exactly B-Team material. He’s coming off an NBA season in which he averaged 25.6 points and 5.9 assists and was named All-NBA Third Team.

In five exhibitions games, Walker led Team USA in points, assists and minutes played. He was even second in rebounds. Head coach Gregg Popovich is going to rely heavily on the new Boston Celtics point guard, and if Team USA is victorious in China it’ll be because they got the best out of Walker. He’s the favorite for a reason.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece, +300

If he’s good enough to win NBA MVP, he’s certainly good enough to win FIBA MVP. The Greece national team has seen its title odds shorten throughout the summer and it stems mainly from Antetokounmpo’s serious commitment about winning gold. We all know the Greek Freak will post massive numbers in the tournament, and if he’s able to carry Greece to a medal, he could win the MVP in a similar fashion to Nowitzki in 2002. Only once has a player won MVP without his team medaling – Rolando Frazer, Panama, 1982 – so a bet on Giannis is a bet on Greece.

Myles Turner, USA, +2000

Time for a darkhorse. He’s arguably been Team USA’s best player in the exhibition games and is doing so at a position where the Americans really need depth. Turner will log a ton of minutes and could be tasked with slowing down the likes of Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert in the tournament round. He has sneaky value as the best team’s best big man.

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Mark Strotman

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