The only unanimous (or near-unanimous) NBA MVP in history might not be who you think. That’s right, I said it.
It is impossible to ignore the unanimous choice of the NBA MVP. Stephen Curry and LeBron James are the obvious choices. Both are having career years while leading their teams to unparalleled success. The only problem? Neither of them might actually be the unanimous NBA MVP.
As if the NBA Finals weren’t dramatic enough, superstar LeBron James took over the entire series. With his Cleveland Cavaliers trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-1, James became the first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in each of the first four games of a Finals series. The men’s basketball world watched closely, as LeBron delivered his MVP-caliber effort in front of a global audience. By the time he sank the game-winning shot, LeBron had proven to the world why he’s the undisputed best player on the planet.
Since the introduction of the NBA MVP award prior to the 1955-56 season, only 35 players from 22 franchises have won the coveted Maurice Podoloff Trophy. Of those 35, 14 have won the award multiple times, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has won three each with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. But the best scorer in league history can’t say he’s the only unanimous MVP in NBA history. Neither can Michael Jordan and Bill Russell, who are second with five wins. Like Wilt Chamberlain or LeBron James, who each won by four points. Who is the only unanimous MVP in NBA history? We don’t want to keep you in the dark.Stephen Curry is the only unanimous NBA MVP in the history of.
. That’s right, folks. Stephen Curry is the only player who was unanimously voted NBA MVP. A year after he first received the award, Curry accomplished the historic feat in the 2015-16 season, which the Golden State Warriors of course finished with a 73-9 record, the best record in NBA history. Curry had an absolutely amazing season. After joining the exclusive 50-40-90 club, he won his first scorer’s title, averaging 30.1 points per game, along with 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Curry received all 131 first-place votes and had more than twice as many points as runner-up Kawhi Leonard.
Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James were each one vote short of becoming unanimous NBA MVP
. Curry was the only NBA MVP to be elected unanimously, but Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James came very close, each with one less vote. Shaq’s only Most Valuable Player came in 1999-00, when he led the Lakers to their first of three consecutive NBA titles. O’Neal won his second MVP award this season, averaging 29.7 points per game, along with 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and three blocks per game. He received 120 of the 121 first-place votes, with second place going to Allen Iverson, who finished seventh. A.I. received the award the following year. In the 2012-2013 season, LeBron narrowly failed to become the fourth and final NBA MVP. James averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals to win his second consecutive title with the Miami Heat. But like Shaq, he received 120 of the 121 first-place votes, and second place went to the man he beat out for the 2004 Rookie of the Year nomination (but probably shouldn’t have), Carmelo Anthony.
How close were Kareem, Russell, Jordan and Wilt?
Bill Russell presents Michael Jordan with the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in May 1998. Jeff Haynes/AFP via Getty Images Since we named five players more likely to become NBA MVP than the others, we thought we’d check how close each of them was to winning the award unanimously. We know how close LeBron was, and we can cross him off the list. As for Karim, Russell and Wilt, the problem with those three is that before the 1980-81 season, the voting was done by the players themselves and they couldn’t vote for themselves or a teammate. Therefore, a unanimous victory for any of them was virtually impossible. Yet none of them received votes other than their own. Still, we checked, and the closest Abdul-Jabbar came was the 1970-71 season, his second season in the league. He received 133 of 156 primary votes and more than four times as many points as runner-up Jerry West. Russell was closest in 1961-62 and Chamberlain in 1966-67. The closest Jordan came to winning the unanimous NBA MVP was in the 1995-96 season, when he led the Chicago Bulls to a 72-10 record and their fourth NBA title. MJ got 109 of the 113 first place votes this year. Penny Hardaway (two), Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone also received votes. Statistics provided by Basketball Reference COMPARED TO: How many foreign-born players have become NBA MVP?The Oakland Athletics are having a phenomenal year this season, and of all the players on their roster, only one is a unanimous winner of the American League MVP. While MVP votes are certainly not a perfect measure of a player’s worth, it’s safe to say that Mike Trout is the best player in the league. This is not up for debating, just ask anyone who has watched him play this year.. Read more about unanimous mvp nfl and let us know what you think.
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