Man, the NBA MVP race is a mess. Every year, we act like there’s a secret formula, but honestly? It’s basically a high-stakes popularity contest mixed with a math exam that no one can agree how to grade.
If you look at the nba most valuable player award winners throughout history, you’ll see it’s not just a list of the best players. It’s a list of the best stories.
Take the 2024-25 season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) finally grabbed his first trophy, narrowly edging out Nikola Jokic. It was tight—like, 126-points-difference tight. People were screaming about "voter fatigue" because Jokic already has three of these things sitting on his mantel. Was SGA actually "better" than Jokic in 2025? Maybe. But he was definitely newer. And in the eyes of the 100 media members who vote on this, "new" is often the tiebreaker.
The Guys With the Most Hardware
When you talk about the absolute legends, the list starts and ends with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He’s got six. Six! That’s a decade of dominance. What’s wild is that in 1976, Kareem won the MVP even though his Lakers didn't even make the playoffs. Can you imagine that happening today? Social media would literally melt.
Behind him, you’ve got the usual suspects:
- Bill Russell: 5 trophies (The guy just won. Period.)
- Michael Jordan: 5 trophies (Most people think he should have had 7 or 8, but we’ll get to the snubs in a second.)
- LeBron James: 4 trophies (He hasn't won one since 2013, which feels like a typo but it’s real.)
- Wilt Chamberlain: 4 trophies
It's sorta funny looking back at the 60s. Between Russell and Wilt, they basically owned the award. They were like the only two kids in class who knew the answers.
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The Snubs That Still Make People Mad
If you want to start a fight in a sports bar, just bring up the 1997 MVP race. Karl Malone won it. Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls to 69 wins and scored more points than anyone else, did not.
Why? Fatigue.
Voters were just bored of Jordan being great. They wanted something different, so they gave it to the "Mailman." Jordan then went out and beat Malone in the Finals, just to remind everyone how silly they were.
And don't even get me started on 1973. Kareem was putting up 30 points and 16 rebounds a night on insane efficiency. Instead, the award went to Dave Cowens. Cowens was great, sure, and his Celtics won 68 games, but his stats looked like a middle-schooler's compared to Kareem's.
Then there’s the Steve Nash era. Look, Nash was incredible to watch. He changed how the game was played. But him winning back-to-back in 2005 and 2006 over guys like Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal? That still stings for a lot of fans. Kobe was averaging 35 points a game in '06. 35! But his team was mediocre, and back then, you couldn't win MVP if your team wasn't a top-two seed.
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How the "Rules" Have Shifted
Actually, those "rules" about team seeding are basically gone now. Russell Westbrook broke the seal in 2017. His Thunder were a 6th seed, but he averaged a triple-double for the first time since Oscar Robertson. The voters couldn't ignore the "round numbers."
Nowadays, we’re obsessed with advanced stats. If your PER (Player Efficiency Rating) isn't through the roof, you’re probably not winning. That’s how Jokic won his first couple. He wasn't the flashiest, but the spreadsheets said he was a god.
But wait, there’s a new hurdle. As of the recent CBA, players have to play at least 65 games to even be eligible for the award. No more "load management" if you want the MVP. This killed Joel Embiid's chances of a repeat in 2024. He was playing the best basketball of his life, but his knee didn't cooperate.
The International Takeover
It’s worth noting that the American dominance of this award is officially over. SGA (Canada) winning in 2025 made it seven years in a row that an international player took the trophy.
- 2019 & 2020: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
- 2021 & 2022: Nikola Jokic (Serbia)
- 2023: Joel Embiid (Cameroon)
- 2024: Nikola Jokic (Serbia)
- 2025: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada)
The last American to win was James Harden back in 2018. That's a lifetime ago in NBA years.
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What Really Makes an MVP?
If you're trying to figure out who's going to win next year, don't just look at the points per game. You've got to look at the narrative.
Is there a "it’s his turn" vibe? That’s what helped SGA in 2025. Is there a "he’s carrying a bunch of nobodies" story? That’s what won it for Allen Iverson in 2001.
Basically, the nba most valuable player award winners are a reflection of what the league valued in that specific moment. In the 90s, it was grit and scoring. In the 2010s, it was three-point shooting and "efficiency." In the 2020s, it's versatility and international flair.
Honestly, the criteria is a moving target. Some years it's the best player on the best team. Other years it's the guy with the most historic stats. There's no consistency, and that's probably why we love arguing about it so much.
If you want to stay ahead of the next MVP debate, you need to track more than just the box score. Keep an eye on the 65-game count for the top superstars—one minor ankle sprain in March can disqualify a frontrunner instantly. Also, watch the "clutch" stats; voters are leaning harder into who performs when the game is on the line, which is exactly how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the deal over Jokic this past year.