When people look back at the 2016-17 NBA season, they usually remember one thing. The triple-double. It was the year of the stat line. It was the year the "unbreakable" record of Oscar Robertson finally fell. But mostly, it was the year of a massive debate that still divides basketball fans today: who won the nba mvp award 2017 and did they actually deserve it?
The answer, as the history books show, is Russell Westbrook.
He didn't just win; he kind of blew the roof off the league. Playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook became the first player since the 1960s to average a triple-double for an entire season. It felt like every single night, you’d check your phone and see he had 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Honestly, it was exhausting just watching him.
The Historic Race: Westbrook vs. Harden
For a long time, the MVP went to the best player on one of the top two teams in the league. That was the unwritten rule. But 2017 broke the rulebook.
James Harden was the other guy. He was incredible for the Houston Rockets. While Russ was chasing history, Harden was leading a "three-point revolution" under coach Mike D’Antoni. The Rockets won 55 games. They were the third seed in the West. Westbrook’s Thunder? They won 47 games and finished sixth.
Usually, a 6th seed doesn't get the MVP. It just doesn't happen. But the voters couldn't ignore the sheer weight of the numbers Westbrook was putting up.
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- Russell Westbrook: 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 10.4 APG.
- James Harden: 29.1 PPG, 11.2 APG, 8.1 RPG.
Harden actually had more "win shares" and a better shooting percentage. But Westbrook had the narrative. He had just been "abandoned" by Kevin Durant, who left for the Golden State Warriors. Russ was the lone wolf. He was the hero of OKC.
Breaking the Record in Denver
The moment that basically sealed the award happened on April 9, 2017. The Thunder were playing the Nuggets. Westbrook needed one more triple-double to break Oscar Robertson's single-season record of 41.
He didn't just get it. He ended the game with 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. Then, to top it off, he hit a 36-foot buzzer-beater to win the game and eliminate the Nuggets from playoff contention. Even the Denver fans were cheering for him. At that point, the MVP race was essentially over.
The Controversy Over Stat Padding
Not everyone thinks the right guy won. If you talk to Rockets fans today, they'll tell you Harden was robbed.
They point to "stat padding." There were clips of Westbrook’s teammates literally moving out of the way so he could grab uncontested defensive rebounds. The argument was that he was hunting for that 10th rebound just to keep the triple-double streak alive.
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There's some truth to it. The Thunder's strategy was often to let Russ grab the board so he could start the fast break immediately. It worked, but it definitely inflated his numbers. Does it matter? To the voters in 2017, it didn't. They were enamored with the history.
How the Voting Broke Down
When the NBA Awards show finally happened (which was a new thing back then), the results weren't as close as people expected.
Westbrook hauled in 69 first-place votes.
Harden only got 22.
Kawhi Leonard finished third, and LeBron James finished fourth. It’s wild to think LeBron had an amazing season and barely even got mentioned in the top-two conversation. That's just how much the Westbrook vs. Harden "Stat-War" dominated the media.
Beyond the Top Two
While everyone focused on Russ and James, a few other guys were putting up monster years:
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- Kawhi Leonard: He was the best two-way player in the world, leading the Spurs to 61 wins.
- LeBron James: He averaged roughly 26/8/8. In any other year, that's an MVP trophy.
- Isaiah Thomas: "The King in the Fourth." He was a scoring machine for the Celtics and finished 5th in voting.
Why 2017 Changed the MVP Forever
Before 2017, team wins were the ultimate gatekeeper. If you weren't on a 50-plus win team, you weren't winning MVP. Russell Westbrook changed that. He proved that if your individual season is "historic" enough, the wins matter a little less.
We've seen this play out since. Nikola Jokic won an MVP as a 6th seed a few years later. The "narrative" and the "advanced stats" started to carry more weight than just the standings.
If you're looking back at the 2017 season, don't just look at the box scores. Go watch the highlights of Westbrook in the fourth quarter. He led the league in clutch scoring. He was a force of nature. Whether you think Harden's efficiency was better or Westbrook's volume was more impressive, there’s no denying that 2017 was one of the most entertaining seasons in the history of the sport.
Actionable Insight for Fans: If you want to understand the modern NBA, study the 2017 MVP race. It marks the exact point where the league shifted from "winning is everything" to "historical statistical dominance." You can find the full voting breakdown on Basketball-Reference to see how individual media members split their ballots between the OKC and Houston stars.