When Is the NBA MVP Voting?
The NBA MVP race is always one of the most talked about topics in the NBA. Here is a look at when the MVP voting takes place.
Introduction
The National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player Award is an annual award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. The winner receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the first commissioner (then president) of the NBA, who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963. Until 2011, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since 2012, a media panel has been employed to award the trophy.
The inaugural winner of the award was Bob Pettit in 1956. Russell Westbrook, Shaquille O Neal, Steve Nash and LeBron James have each won two MVP awards, while Pettit, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan have each won it three times. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone are the only players to have won four times; Malone is also one of only two players (along with Moses Malone) to win in three consecutive seasons (1979–81). Johnson is the only rookie ever to win the award, as he did in 1980. Chrissy Paul is the only woman to win it (in 2018).
Since its inception, eight rookies have received either co- or outright MVP honors: Wilt Chamberlain in 1960 (shared with Oscar Robertson), Wes Unseld in 1969 (shared), Lew Alcindor in 1970 (later renamed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), David Robinson in 1990–91, Tim Duncan in 1997–98 (shared), Allen Iverson in 1996–97, Derrick Rose in 2008–09 and Kyrie Irving 2016–17. Most Valuable Player has been awarded without regard to position played since 1988; prior to that, centers dominated with seven winners while guards won five times and forwards three times between 1956 and 1987. Shaquille O’Neal becomes one of four players to have won NBA MVP Awards with multiple teams after being traded during his MVP season between Orlando Magic & Los Angeles Lakers
The regular season
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who is deemed to be the “most valuable” in the regular season. The winner receives the MauricePodoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the first commissioner (then president) of the NBA, who served from 1946 until 1963. Until 2011, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since 2012, a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters—each distributor casting a vote—has been entrusted with selecting the winner. Each MVP recipient votes for five players he deems worthy of MVP consideration from that season’s particular pool of candidates, but is not allowed to vote for himself; these five selections constitute his ballot.
The All-Star break
The All-Star break is when the voting for the NBA MVP Award takes place. The All-Star break is when the starters for the All-Star game are announced. The All-Star game is played on the Sunday after the break.
The playoffs
The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. The winner receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the first commissioner (then president) of the NBA, who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963. Until 2010, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since 2011, the award has been decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.
Each member of the voting panel selects first, second and third place choices. Each first-place vote is worth 10 points; each second-place vote is worth seven; each third-place vote is worth five. Starting from 2010, one ballot per journalist could be cast instead of three per media outlet.
Balloting continues until a winner is decided with 100 points required for a unanimous decision–since 1980–to win the trophy outright, with one exception: In 1980–81 neither Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nor Julius Erving amassed enough votes to win outright and as a result both players were declared co-MVPs that season. In 1999–2000 Shaquille O’Neal was also declared co-MVP with Allen Iverson owing to them receiving exactly equal votes; this was only the second time that co-MVPs have been selected since 1981 (and as yet no further co-MVPs have been named since then).
As of 2018, eleven players have won the award unanimously: Wilt Chamberlain (1959–60), Bill Russell (1963–64), Oscar Robertson (1963–64), Willis Reed (1969–70), Bob McAdoo (1972–73), Larry Bird (1984–85), Magic Johnson (1987–88), Michael Jordan (1988–89 and 1991–92), Karl Malone (1996–97), Tim Duncan (2002–03) and LeBron James(2012-13). Since 1986, when Dirk Nowitzki became the first international player to be voted MVP, players born outside of United States have won nine times: Hakeem Olajuwon(Nigeria) in 1994-95 ,Nowitzki( Germany) in 2006 -07 and 2007 -08 , Steve Nash( Canada)in 2005 ,2006 Deron Williams( United States ) labeltype=”name” $a->target= “_blank” Steve Nash(Canada)/a>in 2005 , 2006 Derrick Rose ,Dwyane Wade in 2011 Kyrie Irving in 2012 Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019 .
After the season
The NBA Most Valuable Player Award is given to the best performing player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. The player who receives the most points, regardless of specific order, wins the award.
The voting panel consists of 50 members: 44 sportswriters and broadcasters, plus six additional voters who are former NBA players. Each member submits his or her own top five list, with 10 points awarded for each first-place vote, seven for each second-place vote, five for each third-place vote, three for each fourth-place vote and one for each fifth-place vote.
Voting takes place at the end of the regular season, but before the start of the playoffs. The award is then typically presented at an end-of-season awards ceremony.
