Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons make appearance in top 15 of Bovada’s initial MVP odds

Bovada released its MVP odds for the 2018-19 NBA season and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid landed among the top 10 at 16/1 odds, tied for ninth with Kyrie Irving.

LeBron James, a four-time MVP, led the way with 10/3 odds while Anthony Davis (4/1), Giannis Antetokounmpo (9/2), James Harden (11/2) and Kevin Durant (9/2) rounded out the top five.

Ben Simmons holds the 11th-best odds at 35/1, immediately ahead of Damian Lillard (45/1), Karl-Anthony Towns (50/1) and DeMar DeRozan (80/1), each of whom made All-NBA teams last year.

A season ago, Embiid finished 12th in MVP voting. If either Embiid or Simmons wins the award, they’d become the first Sixer to do so since Allen Iverson in 2000-01 and would join Iverson, Moses Malone (1982-83), Julius Erving (1980-81) and Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68, 1966-67, 1965-66) as the only MVPs in franchise history.