EuroLeague: Vezenkov, Nunn, Francisco, Musa… Who will be the MVP of the 2026-2027 season?

The 2026-2027 EuroLeague season kicks off this Thursday, September 24, with an individual question that will run through all 38 regular season games: who will succeed Sasha Vezenkov as MVP? The Olympiacos forward won the trophy for the second time in his career in 2025-2026, ahead of Sylvain Francisco and Elijah Bryant in the vote.

The Bulgarian remains one of the main candidates to succeed himself. But competition looks set to be especially fierce, with several stars having changed teams over the summer and players already established among EuroLeague's best now holding even bigger roles.

Sasha Vezenkov and Kendrick Nunn, the benchmarks

A two-time EuroLeague MVP after winning in 2023 and 2026, Sasha Vezenkov is back with Olympiacos. His team finished with the best regular season record in 2025-2026, and his status shouldn't fundamentally change.

Kendrick Nunn is also among the natural candidates. MVP in 2024-2025, the American guard remains one of Panathinaikos' main offensive weapons. On a team that's still highly ambitious, he has the profile and offensive output needed to reclaim the trophy, now that he's coached by Zeljko Obradovic.

Kendrick Nunn is back from the States and he is getting his first “tutoring” from coach Obradovic. No official update from his return to action with Panathinaikos yet. pic.twitter.com/vDtpqv87b9

— Vasiliki Karamouza (@karamouza_vas) September 24, 2026

Can Sylvain Francisco do even better?

Runner-up in the vote behind Vezenkov in 2025-2026, Sylvain Francisco is stepping up… and changing clubs. The French international has left Zalgiris Kaunas to join Panathinaikos, where he'll notably share the backcourt with Nunn.

His new context is precisely one of the big questions surrounding his candidacy. Francisco is joining a particularly deep roster, where responsibilities will be shared more evenly. But a big season with one of the title contenders could keep him high in the rankings.

Musa, Montero and Horton-Tucker among the candidates to watch

The rise of Dzanan Musa will also be closely watched. At Dubai Basketball since 2025, the Bosnian has been joined on the roster by other strong players, such as Elie Okobo, Tornike Shengelia and Thomas Walkup. The Bosnian international was already teaming up with strong scorers, Dwayne Bacon and Filip Petrusev among others.

Jean Montero, meanwhile, left Valencia for Olympiacos after a season averaging 14.4 points, 4.8 assists and 3 rebounds. A member of the EuroLeague's All-First Team and MVP of the 2026 playoffs, the young Dominican point guard is nonetheless joining a team where Vezenkov already plays, which could split individual responsibilities, in a very different collective setup than Pedro Martinez's at Valencia.

Talen Horton-Tucker also deserves a place in the discussion. In his first European season, the former NBA player averaged 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists with Fenerbahce, making the EuroLeague's All-Second Team. Now familiar with FIBA-style basketball, the Turkish club has extended him for 2026-2027.

THT szn incoming? 👀 @FBBasketbol @Thortontucker x @euroinsiders pic.twitter.com/28cS4UjX6f

— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) September 18, 2026

Mike James in a new jersey, Valanciunas at Zalgiris

MVP in 2024 with Monaco, and the competition's all-time leading scorer, Mike James has joined Anadolu Efes. The American is coming off another season averaging 16.5 points and 6.4 assists in the EuroLeague and will discover a new environment under Pablo Laso.

Another point of interest: Jonas Valanciunas. After a long NBA career, the Lithuanian center now plays for Zalgiris Kaunas. His adaptation to the EuroLeague and his impact in the paint will inevitably be scrutinized at a club where Francisco left major responsibilities to be redistributed. It remains to be seen whether he'll get heavy minutes, where he could be used to cause (a lot of) damage in stretches.

Nadir Hifi, the other Frenchman to watch for EuroLeague MVP

Nadir Hifi can't be left off this list after his 2025-2026 season. The Paris Basketball player averaged 18.9 points across 37 EuroLeague games, up from 14.7 the previous season. He also dished out 3.8 assists per game.

One key factor remains for his candidacy: Paris's team results. Hifi finished last season among the competition's top scorers, but the Paris club failed to reach the playoffs. Improved team performance would inevitably add more weight to his individual numbers.

Finally, Elijah Bryant can't be forgotten either. Third in the MVP vote behind Vezenkov and Francisco in 2026, the Hapoel Tel Aviv guard is coming off a season averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Vezenkov, Nunn, Francisco, Bryant, James, Musa, Montero, Horton-Tucker, Valanciunas, Hifi: the race for the 2026-2027 MVP already has enough candidates to be one of the season's storylines. And by the time we look back at this article at season's end, we'll surely have forgotten a few contenders...