The Lowest Drafted NBA MVPs of All Time

We all know that the NBA is a talent-based league. The best players usually come out on top, and the worst players usually end up at the bottom.

But sometimes, the best players don’t always win. Sometimes, the players who are drafted the lowest end up having the best careers.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the lowest drafted NBA MVPs of all time. You might be surprised at some of the names on this list.

Bill Russell- the lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

Bill Russell was the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics He went on to have an illustrious 13-year career with the Celtics, winning 11 championships and being named MVP five times. Though he was never the league’s highest scorer, Russell’s combination of dominant rebounding, shot-blocking, and leadership helped lead the Celtics to an unprecedented level of success in the NBA. His accomplishments have earned him a reputation as one of the greatest players in Basketball History and he is widely considered one of the game’s all-time greatest champions.

Wilt Chamberlain- the second lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

In the history of the NBA, there have been many Great players who were drafted outside of the lottery. However, only a handful of those players have gone on to win the MVP Award Wilt Chamberlain is one of those players.

Chamberlain was drafted with the second overall pick in the 1959 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors He went on to have an incredible rookie season, averaging 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game Chamberlain’s strong play helped lead the warriors to an NBA Finals appearance, where they eventually lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

Despite his team’s loss in the finals, Chamberlain’s individual play was enough to earn him the MVP award for that season. He remains one of only two players ever to win the MVP Award while being drafted outside of the lottery (the other player is Moses Malone).

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- the third lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

In the history of the NBA, there have been numerous MVPs that were drafted outside of the lottery. In fact, some of the greatest players of all time were drafted outside of the lottery. However, there are a few outliers who were drafted even lower than those greats. In this article, we will take a look at the three lowest drafted MVPs in NBA history

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the third lowest drafted MVP in NBA history He was drafted with the 1st pick in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks He played for the Bucks for six seasons before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He would go on to play for the Lakers for fourteen seasons, winning five NBA championships and six NBA MVP Awards.

Karl Malone is the second lowest drafted MVP in NBA history He was drafted with the 13th pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz He played for the Jazz for eighteen seasons, winning two NBA MVP Awards and fourteen All-Star selections.

Allen Iverson is the lowest drafted MVP in NBA history He was drafted with the 1st pick in the 1996 NBA draft bythe Philadelphia Sixers. He played forthe Sixersforten seasons,winning oneNBA championshipand four All-Star selections.

Magic Johnson- the fourth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

In the history of the NBA, only four MVPs have been drafted fourth or lower. They are:
– Magic Johnson (1st overall in 1979)
– Moses Malone (5th overall in 1974)
– Bob Pettit (2nd overall in 1954)
– Wes Unseld (2nd overall in 1968)

Of these four, Magic Johnson is the only one drafted first overall. He went on to have a legendary career, winning five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers

Michael Jordan- the fifth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

Michael Jordan is the fifth lowest drafted player to ever be named MVP in the National Basketball Association He was drafted third overall by the Chicago Bulls in 1984, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.

Moses Malone- the sixth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

In 1978, the Houston Rockets selected center Moses Malone with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft It was a solid pick, as Malone would go on to have a Hall of Fame career. He was named to 12 All-Star teams, won three NBA MVP awards, and was named to the All-NBA First Team nine times. He is also one of only four players in NBA history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for their career.

Remarkably, Malone is also one of the lowest drafted players ever to win an NBA MVP award In fact, he is the sixth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history The only players drafted lower than Malone who have won MVP are Wesley Person (1993), Steve Nash (2005), Dirk Nowitzki (2007), Derrick Rose (2011), and Kyrie Irving (2012).

So how does a player like Moses Malone end up being drafted so low? In his case, it was because he skipped college and went straight from Petersburg High School in Virginia to the pros. That made him something of a risk for teams, as there was no way to know how his game would translate against better competition. As it turned out, Malone more than held his own against the best players in the world, and he ended up becoming one of the best players of his generation.

Willis Reed- the seventh lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

Willis Reed was the seventh lowest drafted MVP in NBA history when he was selected in the second round of the 1964 draft with the eight overall pick by the New York Knicks He went on to have a decorated career, being named an All-Star seven times and winning two NBA championships with the Knicks. Reed is also remembered for his heroic performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals where he limped out onto the court with a torn muscle to help lead his team to victory.

Dirk Nowitzki- the eighth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

Dirk Nowitzki was the eighth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history when he was originally selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft He was then immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks Nowitzki has spent his entire 20-year career with the Mavericks, winning an NBA Championship in 2011 and becoming the first European-born player to be named NBA Finals MVP. He is also a 14-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA selection.

Steve Nash- the ninth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

Steve Nash the former point guard of Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers was drafted ninth overall in the 1996 draft. In eight seasons with the Suns, Nash made the All-Star team five times and was named MVP in 2005 and 2006, becoming the only player in NBA History to receive the honor with a losing record. He is also one of only six players to average at least 10 assists per game for his career.

Kobe Bryant- the tenth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history

Kobe Bryant was drafted with the thirteenth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft making him the tenth lowest drafted MVP in NBA history He played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire twenty-year career, winning five NBA championships and becoming one of the greatest players of all time.