DeMarcus Cousins Makes Surprising Pick for 2026 MVP

The 2025–26 NBA season is officially upon us, and with so many teams expected to contend for the NBA Championship and so many intriguing young players emerging, this could be one of the best seasons in the modern NBA. After winning their first title, the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to contend once more behind reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be a favorite for the award once more.

It won't be a one-horse race, however, as the likes of Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokić, among others, will all be fighting for the award once more. When asked about his opinion on the MVP race, however, former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins has predicted a very intriguing winner of the award this season.

“There’s enough talent on this team for Kevin Durant to win MVP at 37.”

This past offseason, we saw Durant change teams once more, as he was acquired by the Houston Rockets for a haul, giving the team the No. 1 scorer that they dearly missed a season ago.

Even at 37 years of age, Durant averaged an impressive 27 points a night on 53% shooting from the field, and after being named an All-Star for the 15th time in his career, he's still got plenty left in the tank. It's unclear whether or not he can take his game to the MVP level once more, but if he can average over 27 a night and help this team to a top seed in the brutal Western Conference, there's an outside chance that he could win the award for the second time in his career.