The betting landscape on NBA and college basketball is being shaped by two very different, but increasingly overlapping ecosystems, namely traditional betting and Polymarket.
Polymarket is a reasonably new form of betting, having been set up back in 2020 with cryptocurrency users in mind. It allows the trade on the outcomes of real-world events, such as sports, using a system similar to financial markets rather than traditional sports betting.
The NBA is an exciting and fluid market to bet on in general, with the potential for bettors to place wagers on the outcomes of numerous events and awards. Let’s look at some of the main betting markets for basketball this year.
NBA Champions
Let’s start with the big one: who will be NBA Champions this time around? The race for the Larry O’Brien trophy is well and truly on, as we’ve just finished the final play in games. Having triumphed last time out, the Oklahoma Thunder enter the race as major favourites as well as top seeds in the Western Conference, while Detroit Pistons are the top seeds in the East.
There is sure to be rabid competition throughout the playoffs, however, and surely some upsets are still on the cards. Having had a hugely successful last few years, you can never write off Boston Celtics, who will be looking to set themselves up at the top of the pile, as well as Indiana Pacers, who narrowly missed out on glory at the last time of asking. Polymarket heavily favour Oklahoma at present, significantly outweighing the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs.
But while the betting service is currently in the middle of rolling out its new US betting app, new users can skip the wait with a Polymarket invite code allowing them to wager on the action in time for the tip off in the playoffs and place bets on the potential MVP as well as many other basketball betting markets.
NBA MVP
The coveted MVP (most valuable player) award is one of the most prestigious of the NBA season, marking a player’s personal excellence and value to their respective teams. Whilst Serb superstar Nikola Jokic is vying for glory once more, it seems that he’s playing second fiddle in the offing to Oklahoma’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with the Thunder man well and truly ahead among Polymarket and other traditional betting lines to win the crown. SGA will be looking to secure his second MVP status after his successful showing in the 2024-25 season and stands head and shoulders ahead of the competition at the time of writing.
Conference Champions
Divided East by West, the conferences are always a tightly run affair, and betting action is available via Polymarket on both sides of the continent. While Oklahoma (west) and Detroit (east) are the top seeds at present, this could all change as the action unfolds. The Thunder are, at time of writing, up against the Phoenix Suns by 2-0 in the first round, and the LA Lakers are also showing good form, up 2-0 against the Houston Rockets.
Although the games have begun, there is still plenty of action to bet on before we reach the latter stages and the eventual playoff finals in June, and as we well know, nothing is ever certain in the NBA.
There are countless more options for bettors to explore as the playoffs ramp up, and those who like wagering on NBA basketball can find myriad ways to place bets on all the NBA action remaining in the 2026 season.
