Honestly, the NBA MVP race is a mess. Every spring, we pretend there’s a secret formula—some holy grail of Win Shares and True Shooting percentage—that tells us exactly who the "Most Valuable Player" is. But if you look at the actual list of mvps by year nba, you’ll realize it’s less of a science and more of a collective mood ring for the media.
Take the 1962 season. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game. He scored 100 points in a single night. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double that same year. Yet, the trophy went to Bill Russell. Why? Because the players voted back then, and they liked winning rings more than they liked Wilt’s box scores.
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The Evolution of Value
In the early days, the MVP was basically a "Best Player on the Best Team" award. If you were the alpha dog on a 60-win squad, the trophy was yours to lose. This is how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar racked up a record six trophies between 1971 and 1980. He was undeniable.
But then the voting moved from the players to the media in 1981, and things got... weird.
Suddenly, narrative mattered. The "story" of the season started to outweigh the raw data. We saw this peak in 2017 when Russell Westbrook won while playing for a 6th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder team. People argued for months. Can a guy really be the "most valuable" if his team barely makes the playoffs? Apparently, if you average a triple-double for the first time since the 60s, the answer is yes.
Why 2005 Still Makes People Mad
If you want to start a fight in a Miami sports bar, just mention Steve Nash. In 2005, Nash won his first MVP while averaging 15.5 points. Shaquille O'Neal, meanwhile, was a physical hurricane for the Heat, putting up 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds.
- The Case for Nash: He turned the Phoenix Suns from a 29-win lottery team into a 62-win juggernaut.
- The Case for Shaq: He was Shaq. You couldn't stop him without fouling him.
Shaq still says he was robbed. To him, the mvps by year nba list is a record of crimes against big men. Nash won again in 2006, further cementing the "advanced stats vs. eye test" debate that still dominates Twitter (or X, whatever) today.
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Modern Era: The Rise of the Unicorns
Looking at the recent winners, it's clear the league has changed. From 2019 to 2024, the award was dominated by international players. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, and Joel Embiid. These aren't just "centers" or "forwards"—they are positionless aliens.
Nikola Jokić, specifically, has broken the brains of traditionalists. When he won in 2024, it was his third in four years. He's a second-round pick who looks like he’s playing in slow motion, yet he generates nearly 40% of the Nuggets' total points through his own scoring and assists.
It’s actually kinda funny. We spent decades looking for the "next Jordan," but the most valuable player in the world right now is a 280-pound Serbian dude who just wants to go home and see his horses.
The Derrick Rose Anomaly
We can't talk about the history of the award without mentioning 2011. At 22, Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP ever. He was a human highlight reel.
But if you look at the "LEBRON" metric or VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), LeBron James actually had a statistically superior season. So why did Rose win? Narratives. LeBron had just formed the "Heatles" in Miami, and the world hated him for it. Rose was the hometown kid carrying a battered Bulls roster to the #1 seed.
Context is everything.
What to Watch For Next
The "Rose Rule" and the new 65-game minimum for awards have changed the math again. You can't just be the best; you have to be durable. This is why guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Dončić are the new faces of the race—they are high-volume, high-efficiency, and they actually show up to work.
If you're trying to predict the next name on the list, stop looking at the per-game averages for a second. Ask yourself: Who has the best story? Who is making their teammates look like All-Stars?
Actionable Insights for NBA Fans:
- Check the 65-game mark: Before betting on an MVP favorite, ensure they haven't already missed a chunk of the season. The new CBA is ruthless.
- Watch the "On-Off" splits: Real value is found in how much a team collapses when their star sits. If the Net Rating drops by 15 points, that's your MVP.
- Don't ignore the seed: Only three players since 1976 have won MVP on a team with fewer than 50 wins. History favors the winners.
The list of mvps by year nba will always be a source of debate, but that's what makes basketball great. It's a conversation that never really ends.
To stay ahead of the next race, start tracking "Clutch Points" and defensive impact metrics. These are becoming the new tiebreakers for voters who are tired of looking at the same old box scores.