Nikola Jokic being on pace to win three MVPs when he should have not even won one made me take a deep dive into the NBA MVPs of the past 20 years. I believe the MVP award should be a mixture of being one. of the top teams in the NBA coupled with individual impact or usage and individual stats.
2003
The NBA and the media got this one right. Tim Duncan was the MVP and he deserved it. The Spurs were the best team in the NBA and he was the best player.
2004
Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota T-Wolves had an absolutely incredible season. KG was a top player for years and 2004 was his time to win the award. The NBA got the MVP absolutely correct that season.
2005
The NBA gave the MVP to a player that averaged 15 points a game, what a joke. I do not want to hear any excuses about the decision either. Yes, the Suns were the second-best team in the NBA but right behind them was the Miami Heat who eventually won the championship. I will go with Shaq for my 2005 NBA MVP.
2006
The NBA’s decision to give Steve Nash the MVP in back-to-back seasons is probably one of the biggest jokes in NBA history. The Suns were not even one of the best teams in the NBA thus it truly made no sense at all. Lebron James led the Cavs to 50 wins in 2006 thus he is my MVP. James also averaged 31 7 and 7 which was crazy at the time for the 21-year-old. Kobe Bryant is an honorable mention for the award this season as well, leading the league with almost 36 points a game.
2007
2007 was an easy choice for MVP. Dirk was the best player in the NBA and also on the NBA’s best team.
2008
2008 was an easy choice for MVP. Kobe was the best player in the NBA; however, the Boston Celtics were the best team. Despite that, I do not believe the NBA could give Paul Pierce the MVP when he did not even average 20 points per game.
2009
This was the beginning of King James’ reign in the NBA. The NBA got it right, Lebron James was the MVP.
2010
Lebron James was the actual MVP and I absolutely agree. James is deserving of back-to-back NBA MVPs.
2011
Shockingly, I was looking hard to see if I could replace D Rose as MVP but the Bulls were incredible this season. D Rose was the best player in the NBA at such a young age, truly what could have been.
2012
Surprisingly, I actually flipped the 2012 NBA MVP to Kevin Durant. Durant averaged more points (NBA Scoring Champ) than Lebron James as well as having a better record. The difference was extremely small thus I do not mind keeping King James as the MVP in 2012.
2013
In 2013, Lebron James won the MVP which I agree with.
2014
In 2014, Kevin Durant won the MVP which I agree with.
2015
In 2015, Stephen Curry won the MVP which I agree with.
2016
In 2016, Stephen Curry won the MVP which I agree with.
2017
In 2017, Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double on an average OKC Thunder team. Giving Westbrook the MVP paved the way for fans and the media to value stats over winning. Yes, what Westbrook did was out of this world but so was Kobe Bryant averaging 36 points per game; yet they gave the award to Steve Nash. I will give the MVP this year to Stephen Curry, which would put him on the list of 6 players in American sports that won 3 straight MVP Awards. Curry was the best player on the best team leading the league. in3 point shooting and averaging 26 points per game.
2018
The NBA gave James Harden the MVP in 2018 which was the right thing to do. Harden’s crazy stats coupled with the team’s success is the right package for the MVP.
2019
In 2019 the NBA MVP was Giannis which was the correct choice.
2020
In 2020 the NBA MVP was Giannis which was the correct choice.
2021
I have been trying to wrap my head around why the MVP award was given to Nikola Jokic over Joel Embiid in 2021. The Sixers had a better record than the Nuggets and the best record in the east. Embiid averages 2 more points per game, about the same rebounds (10.6 vs 10.8), and double the blocks. Jokic on the other hand did average 5 more assists than Embiid. Are assists really the deciding factor? What is the reason why the NBA does not care when Trae Young averages the most total points and assists? It seems like propaganda to me, Joel should have won the award.
2022
In 2022 the Nuggets were the 6th seed yet they still gave the award to Jokic. Jokic did have a crazy statistical season averaging 27, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists; however, he should not have been in the running due to team success. I will always go back to the fact the media gave Nash the MVP over Kobe Bryant when Kobe averaged 36 a game in an era when averaging 30 points a game was out of this world.
For me though, it is hard to give Joel or Giannis the award being that they had the same record and similar statistical advantages. If Devin Booker averaged 28 instead of 26 points per game he would have hands down been the MVP. In conclusion, the NBA should have opted for Co- MVPs or given the award to Devin Booker.
Do you agree or do you believe Jokic should win his third MVP putting him in an elite class?