MVP Q&A
You have questions about the NBA's MVP Award? I have answers.
Who’s the tallest MVP?
With a listed height of 7-feet-2-inches, six-time MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the tallest recipient of the award. Overall, 17 of the 68 MVP Awards (25.0%) have gone to players with a listed height of 7-feet or taller.
Who’s the shortest MVP?
Allen Iverson, with a listed height of 6-feet-0-inches, is the shortest MVP Award winner. Iverson is one of only three players with a listed height of 6-feet-2-inches or shorter to take home the honor. The others are two-time MVP Stephen Curry (6-feet-2-inches) and Bob Cousy (6-feet-1-inch).
What’s the median height for an MVP?
The median height for an MVP is 6-feet-9-inches. Seven recipients had a listed height of exactly 6-feet-9-inches:
LeBron James (4 times)
Larry Bird (3 times)
Magic Johnson (3 times)
Bob Pettit (2 times)
Karl Malone (2 times)
Dave Cowens
Bob McAdoo
Who’s the heaviest MVP?
Shaquille O’Neal had a listed weight of 325 pounds when he won the award in 1999-00.
Who’s the lightest MVP?
Once again it’s Allen Iverson, who had a listed weight of 165 pounds in 2000-01. In other words, Shaquille O’Neal was roughly equal to two Iversons (at least on the scale).
What’s the median weight for an MVP?
The median weight for an MVP is 225 pounds (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
Who’s the youngest MVP?
Derrick Rose (22 years, 191 days*) in 2010-11 is the only player to win the award before his 23rd birthday. Wes Unseld (23 years, 10 days) in 1968-69 is the second-youngest recipient. By the way, Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60) are the only rookies to be named MVP.
* Age computed on the last day of the regular season.
Who’s the oldest MVP?
Karl Malone (35 years, 285 days) in 1998-99 edges out Michael Jordan in 1997-98 (35 years, 61 days) as the oldest MVP Award winner. Malone is also the oldest first-time winner of the honor, taking home the first of his two MVP Awards in 1996-97 (33 years, 270 days).
Which MVP scored the most points?
Michael Jordan scored 2,868 points in 1987-88, which ranks sixth on the NBA’s all-time single-season list. Oddly enough, Wilt Chamberlain owns four of the top five single-season point totals in NBA history, but he won his four MVP Awards in other seasons. Chamberlain has the highest scoring average by an MVP, averaging 37.6 PPG in 1959-60, his rookie campaign.
Which MVP scored the fewest points?
Bill Walton scored 1,097 points in 1977-78, when he also set the mark for lowest percentage of team games played by an MVP:
70.7% — Bill Walton, 1977-78
80.5% — Joel Embiid, 2022-23
86.3% — Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2019-20
86.6% — Allen Iverson, 2000-01
87.8% — Antetokounmpo, 2018-19
87.8% — James Harden, 2017-18
The lowest scoring average by an MVP belongs to Wes Unseld, who averaged 13.8 PPG as a rookie in 1968-69.
Which MVP grabbed the most rebounds?
Wilt Chamberlain snagged 1,957 boards in 1966-67. Chamberlain has the top four spots on this list, with the next five spots occupied by Bill Russell. Chamberlain also owns the highest rebounding average by an MVP (27.0 RPG, 1959-60).
Which MVP grabbed the fewest rebounds?
Steve Nash had 249 rebounds when he won his first MVP Award in 2004-05. Nash and Allen Iverson (273, 2000-01) are the only MVPs to record fewer than 300 rebounds.
Which MVP dished out the most assists?
Magic Johnson handed out 988 assists in 1988-89, when he also averaged an MVP-high 12.8 APG. Johnson owns the three-highest assist figures for an MVP, also recording 977 assists in 1986-87 and 907 assists in 1989-90.
Which MVP dished out the fewest assists?
Moses Malone distributed 101 assists in 1982-83. Just as Magic Johnson owns the three-highest assist totals for an MVP, Malone owns the three lowest, recording 142 assists in 1981-82 and 147 assists in 1978-79.
Which MVP’s team had the best winning percentage?
Stephen Curry brought home the MVP Award in 2015-16 when the Golden State Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games (.890 winning percentage). The Warriors, of course, lost in the NBA Finals that year to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite taking a 3-1 series lead.
Which MVP’s team had the worst winning percentage?
Bob Pettit’s St. Louis Hawks went 33-39 (.458) in 1955-56. The Hawks actually did make the playoffs that season, losing to the Fort Wayne Pistons 3-2 in the Western Division Finals.
Has an MVP’s team ever missed the playoffs?
The only MVP to play for a team that did not make the playoffs was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76. Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Pettit in 1955-56 (see above) are the only recipients to play for a team that did not finish with a winning record.
How often does an MVP’s team win the championship?
The MVP’s team has gone on to win the NBA Finals 23 times in 68 seasons (33.8%). The last recipient to play for a title winner was Stephen Curry in 2014-15.
How many unanimous MVPs have there been?
Just one: Stephen Curry in 2015-16. Shaquille O’Neal (1999-00) and LeBron James (2012-13) came the closest to joining Curry, each missing by a single first-place vote. Thank you Fred Hickman (RIP) and Gary Washburn!
Who’s won the most MVP Awards?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award six times (1970-71, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1976-77, and 1979-80). Bill Russell and Michael Jordan are next with five selections apiece.
Who’s won an MVP Award for multiple franchises?
Four players have won at least one MVP Award for multiple franchises:
Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors, Sixers)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Bucks, Lakers)
Moses Malone (Rockets, Sixers)
LeBron James (Cavaliers, Heat)
Abdul-Jabbar (three apiece) and James (two apiece) are the only players to win multiple MVPs with multiple franchises.
Who’s won the most consecutive MVP Awards?
Three players have received the honor in three consecutive seasons:
Bill Russell, 1960-61 through 1962-63
Wilt Chamberlain, 1965-66 through 1967-68
Larry Bird, 1983-84 through 1985-86
Russell and LeBron James both won four MVP Awards in a five-season span.
Which MVP had the most years between wins?
Wilt Chamberlain won his first MVP Award as a rookie in 1959-60, then claimed his second trophy six years later in 1965-66. The second-longest span belongs to Michael Jordan, who won the award in 1991-92 and again four years later in 1995-96. Jordan, of course, was retired in 1993-94 and only played 17 games in the 1994-95 season.
Which MVP had the highest award share?
An award share is equal to points won divided by the maximum number of points possible, so the answer is Stephen Curry in 2015-16. Here’s the top five:
1.000 — Stephen Curry, 2015-16
0.998 — Shaquille O’Neal, 1999-00
0.998 — LeBron James, 2012-13
0.991 — Kevin Garnett, 2003-04
0.986 — Michael Jordan, 1995-96
0.986 — Kevin Durant, 2013-14
Which MVP had the lowest award share?
In 1955-56, 1956-57, 1964-65, and 1976-77 through 1979-80, voters could only list one player on their ballot. The smallest award share in a year in which voters could list multiple players on their ballot was .407 by Wilt Chamberlain in 1965-66. Here’s the bottom five (omitting the seasons listed earlier):
0.407 — Wilt Chamberlain, 1965-66
0.442 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1975-76
0.507 — Dave Cowens, 1972-73
0.567 — Bob McAdoo, 1974-75
0.568 — Bill Russell, 1960-61
Here’s the list since 1980-81, when the five-man ballot was introduced:
0.658 — Julius Erving, 1980-81
0.691 — Magic Johnson, 1989-90
0.701 — Karl Malone, 1998-99
0.735 — Moses Malone, 1981-82
0.739 — Steve Nash, 2005-06
Who has the most career MVP shares?
LeBron James tops the list with 8.815 career MVP shares:
8.815 — LeBron James
8.130 — Michael Jordan
6.203 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5.693 — Larry Bird
5.129 — Magic Johnson
Who has the most career first-place MVP votes?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received 762 career first-place votes, a whopping 231.5 more than the next-closest player:
762 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
530.5 — Michael Jordan
494 — LeBron James
345 — Wilt Chamberlain
289 — Bill Russell
Who has the most seasons receiving a first-place MVP vote?
Again it’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 13 such seasons:
13 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
12 — Bill Russell
12 — LeBron James
11 — Michael Jordan
10 — Wilt Chamberlain
10 — Jerry West
Who’s the worst MVP selection?
This is obviously subjective, but I’d go with Dave Cowens in 1972-73. Cowens did not lead the NBA in a single category that season. Meanwhile, Nate Archibald led the league in points, assists, minutes played, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made, and free throws attempted.
Archibald’s KC-Omaha Kings did not make the playoffs that season, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks did, finishing first in the Midwest Division with a record of 60-22. Although Archibald had the flashy stats, I probably would have voted for Abdul-Jabbar.
So why did Cowens win? The Celtics exploded for 68 wins in 1972-73, and I think the voters felt they had to give the award to somebody from Boston. If forced to pick a player from that Celtics team, I probably would have gone with John Havlicek.
In my opinion, the All-NBA voters got it right, putting Archibald, Abdul-Jabbar, and Havlicek on the First Team and Cowens on the Second Team.
Who’s the worst player to receive a first-place MVP vote?
In 1974-75, Mike Bantom averaged 12.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.9 APG. He shot 46.1% from the field and 71.4% from the free throw line for a Phoenix Suns team that finished 32-50. For that effort he was rewarded with a single first-place MVP vote.*
* It should be noted that this was back when the players voted.
Who’s the best player who never won the MVP Award?
In my opinion it’s Jerry West, who was a 14-time All Star and 12-time All-NBA selection. West was a runner-up four different times (1965-66, 1969-70, 1970-71, and 1971-72) but never bagged the award.
Which franchise has the most MVP Award winners?
The Boston Celtics lead all franchise with 10 winners:
Bill Russell (5 times)
Larry Bird (3 times)
Bob Cousy
Dave Cowens
The Los Angeles Lakers are second with eight MVPs:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3 times)
Magic Johnson (3 times)
Shaquille O’Neal
Kobe Bryant
The Philadelphia 76ers have the most distinct winners with five:
Wilt Chamberlain (3 times)
Julius Erving
Moses Malone
Allen Iverson
Joel Embiid