It was during the 1955–56 season that the first Most Valuable Player in NBA history was named. The aim was to recognise the season’s best player, and this tradition has taken root and continues to this day.
A total of 36 players have won the MVP award at least once, from the first recipient, Bob Pettit, to the most recent, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. No player has won more than the illustrious Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was voted MVP a record six times.
Whilst the USA has dominated the award since its inception, every player to win it since 2019 has been an international. Only one player in history has been unanimously voted MVP: Steph Curry, during the Golden State Warriors’ historic 2015–2016 season. But Shaquille O'Neal (in 2000) and LeBron James (in 2013) came close to being the first to receive this honour: they both fell one vote short.
Until 1980, it was the players themselves who voted to elect the MVP; since then, journalists and basketball experts from around the world (though most are still based in the United States) have voted to select the MVP. This has sparked much debate regarding what remains the most prestigious individual award in world basketball.
All MVPs in NBA history
1956: Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks - 25.7 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 2.6 APG - 33/80 first-place votes)
1957: Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics - 20.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.5 APG - 23/80 first-place votes)
1958: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics - 16.6 PPG, 2.9 APG, 22.7 RPG - 33/80 first-place votes)
1959: Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks - 29.2 PPG, 16.4 RPG, 3.1 APG - 59/80 first-place votes)
1960: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors - 37.6 PPG, 27.0 RPG, 2.3 APG - 49/80 first-place votes)
1961: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics - 16.9 PPG, 23.9 RPG, 3.4 APG - 35/80 first-place votes)
1962: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics - 18.9 PPG, 23.6 RPG, 4.5 APG - 51/80 first-place votes)
1963: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics - 16.8 PPG, 23.6 RPG, 4.5 APG - 56/101 first-place votes)
1964: Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals - 31.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 11.0 APG - 60/96 first-place votes)
1965: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics - 14.1 PPG, 24.1 RPG, 5.3 APG - 53/99 first-place votes)
1966: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia 76ers - 33.5 PPG, 24.6 RPG, 5.2 APG - 48/99 first-place votes*)
1967: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia 76ers - 24.1 PPG, 24.2 RPG, 7.8 APG - 80/105 first-place votes*)
1968: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia 76ers - 24.3 PPG, 23.8 RPG, 8.6 APG - 88/139 first-place votes*)
1969: Wes Unseld (Baltimore Bullets - 13.8 PPG, 18.2 RPG, 2.6 APG - 53/103 first-place votes*)
1970: Willis Reed (New York Knicks - 21.7 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 2.0 APG - 61/155 first-place votes)
1971: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks - 31.7 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 3.3 APG - 133/156 first-place votes*)
1972: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks - 34.8 PPG, 16.6 RPG, 4.6 APG - 81/180 first-place votes)
1973: Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics - 20.5 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 4.1 APG - 67/175 first-place votes)
1974: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks - 27.0 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 4.8 APG - 74/181 first-place votes)
1975: Bob McAdoo (Buffalo Braves - 34.5 PPG, 14.1 RPG, 2.2 APG - 81/193 first-place votes)
1976: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers - 27.7 PPG, 16.9 RPG, 5.0 APG - 52/185 first-place votes)
1977: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers - 26.2 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.9 APG - 159/247 first-place votes)
1978: Bill Walton (Portland Trail Blazers - 18.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG - 96/238 first-place votes)
1979: Moses Malone (Houston Rockets - 24.8 PPG, 17.6 RPG, 1.8 APG - 112/214 first-place votes)
1980: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers - 24.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 4.5 APG - 147/221 first-place votes)
1981: Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers - 24.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.4 APG - 28/69 first-place votes)
1982: Moses Malone (Houston Rockets - 21.1 PPG, 14.7 RPG, 1.8 APG - 40/69 first-place votes)
1983: Moses Malone (Philadelphia 76ers - 24.5 PPG, 15.3 RPG, 1.3 APG - 69/75 first-place votes)
1984: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics - 24.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.6 APG - 52/76 first-place votes)
1985: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics - 28.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 6.6 APG - 73/78 first-place votes)
1986: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics - 25.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.8 APG - 73/78 first-place votes)
1987: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers - 23.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 12.2 APG - 65/78 first-place votes)
1988: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls - 35.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.9 APG - 47/79 first-place votes)
1989: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers - 22.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 12.8 APG - 42.5/85 first-place votes)
1990: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers - 22.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 11.5 APG - 27/92 first-place votes)
1991: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls - 31.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.5 APG - 77/96 first-place votes)
1992: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls - 30.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 6.1 APG - 80/96 first-place votes)
1993: Charles Barkley (Phoenix Suns - 25.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 5.1 APG - 59/98 first-place votes)
1994: Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets - 27.3 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.6 APG - 66/101 first-place votes)
1995: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs - 27.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.9 APG - 73/104 first-place votes)
1996: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls - 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG - 109/113 first-place votes)
1997: Karl Malone (Utah Jazz - 27.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.5 APG - 63/115 first-place votes)
1998: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls - 28.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG - 92/116 first-place votes)
1999: Karl Malone (Utah Jazz - 23.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 4.1 APG - 44/118 first-place votes)
2000: Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers - 29.7 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG - 120/121 first-place votes)
2001: Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers - 31.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.6 APG - 93/124 first-place votes)
2002: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs - 25.5 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 3.7 APG - 57/126 first-place votes)
2003: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs - 23.3 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 3.9 APG - 60/119 first-place votes)
2004: Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves - 24.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 5.0 APG - 120/123 first-place votes)
2005: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns - 15.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 11.5 APG - 65/127 first-place votes)
2006: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns - 18.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 10.5 APG - 57/125 first-place votes)
2007: Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks - 24.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.4 APG - 83/129 first-place votes)
2008: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers - 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG - 82/126 first-place votes)
2009: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers - 28.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.2 APG - 109/121 first-place votes)
2010: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers - 29.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.6 APG - 116/123 first-place votes)
2011: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls - 25.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.7 APG - 113/121 first-place votes)
2012: LeBron James (Miami Heat - 27.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 6.2 APG - 85/121 first-place votes)
2013: LeBron James (Miami Heat - 26.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.3 APG - 120/121 first-place votes)
2014: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder - 32.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.5 APG - 119/125 first-place votes)
2015: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors - 23.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.7 APG - 100/130 first-place votes)
2016: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors - 30.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.7 APG - 131/131 first-place votes)
2017: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder - 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 10.4 APG - 69/101 first-place votes)
2018: James Harden (Houston Rockets - 30.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.8 APG - 86/101 first-place votes)
2019: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks - 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG - 79/101 first-place votes)
2020: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks - 29.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 5.6 APG - 85/101 first-place votes)
2021: Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets - 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.3 APG - 91/101 first-place votes)
2022: Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets - 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG - 65/100 first-place votes)
2023: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers - 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG - 75/101 first-place votes)
2024: Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets - 26.4 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 9.0 APG - 79/99 first-place votes)
2025: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder - 32.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.4 APG - 71/100 first-place votes)
FAQ
Which player has won the most MVP awards in history?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stands alone at the top of this list with six MVP awards (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980).
Which player has won the most consecutive MVP titles?
Three players have won the MVP title three years in a row: Bill Russell (1961, 1962, 1963), Wilt Chamberlain (1966, 1967, 1968), and Larry Bird (1984, 1985, 1986).
Who is the youngest MVP in history?
It is Derrick Rose, who was named MVP during the 2010–11 season, his third NBA season. He was named MVP at the age of 22 years, 6 months and 30 days.
Which players have won an MVP title with two different teams?
Four players have won MVP awards with different teams. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3 with the Bucks and 3 with the Lakers), Wilt Chamberlain (1 with the Warriors and 3 with the 76ers), LeBron James (2 with the Cavaliers and 2 with the Heat), and Moses Malone (2 with the Rockets and 1 with the 76ers).
Which team has had the most players named MVP while playing for them?
The Boston Celtics have ten MVP awards (5 for Bill Russell, 3 for Larry Bird, 1 for Bob Cousy, and 1 for Dave Cowens), ahead of the Lakers (8) and the 76ers (7).
Which teams have never had an MVP elected whilst playing for them?
There are eight: the Brooklyn Nets, the Charlotte Hornets, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors.
How many non-American players have won the MVP?
There are seven: Hakeem Olajuwon (not yet a naturalised American citizen at the time he won the title), Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid (not yet a naturalised American citizen at the time he won the title) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
