Jayson Tatum finishes 4th in NBA MVP voting

The NBA, through a global media panel of 100 voters, selected Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the 2024-25 league Most Valuable Player. But, the local news is that the Celtics' Jayson Tatum was fourth in voting for the award.

Tatum collected 311 total points: Zero votes for first or second place, 11 for third, 84 for fourth, and four for fifth. The players ahead of him were, obviously, Gilgeous-Alexander (first in voting, 913 total points), Nikola Jokić (second in voting, 787 total points), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (third in voting, 470 total points).

Finishing in fourth for the MVP, ties the highest Tatum has been voted in his career - he was also fourth in 2022-23.

Nonetheless, 2024-25 was another strong year for the 27-year-old. He played, and started, 72 games during the regular season, averaging 36.4 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. However, he set a career-low in 3-point-percentage (34.3 percent), along with a slight decrease in field goal percentage as well (45.2 percent, the third-lowest season of his career).

Due to a ruptured right Achilles tendon, that he suffered late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks, Tatum's status for 2025-26 is unlikely. It is also yet to be seen if he can return to the same level of play when he does eventually get back to the floor.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.