Has a Rookie Ever Won MVP in the NBA?

We’re taking a look at whether a rookie has ever won MVP in the NBA. We’ll go over some of the past winners and see if any of them were rookies when they won the award.

Introduction

In the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), only one rookie has ever been named Most Valuable Player (MVP). That player is Wilt Chamberlain, who was named MVP in the 1959-60 season.

Chamberlain was a sensation from the moment he stepped onto an NBA court. In his rookie season, he averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game, leading the league in both categories. He also set an NBA record by scoring 100 points in a single game. His remarkable play helped the Philadelphia Warriors to a league-best 59-25 record and earned him a spot on the All-Star team.

At the end of the season, Chamberlain was named Rookie of the Year and MVP, becoming the first and only player to win both awards in the same year. He would go on to have an incredible Hall of Fame career, but he would never again be named MVP.

A Look at the Numbers

In the history of the NBA, only one rookie has ever been named MVP. That distinction belongs to Wes Unseld, who won the award in 1968-69.

Unseld was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets with the second overall pick in 1968. He went on to average 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game, leading the Bullets to a 57-25 record. In the playoffs, Unseld averaged 17.0 points and 19.0 rebounds as the Bullets lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks.

Despite his team’s playoff shortcomings, Unseld’s stellar individual season was enough to earn him MVP honors. He received 23 of a possible 24 first-place votes, beating out fellow rookies Elvin Hayes and Connie Hawkins for the award.

Since Unseld’s historic season, several other rookies have come close to winning MVP but have ultimately fallen short. In 1984-85, Ralph Sampson finished second in MVP voting behind Larry Bird after averaging 21.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game for the Houston Rockets.

Other close calls include Chris Webber (1993-94), LeBron James (2003-04) and Kyrie Irving (2011-12), all of whom finished third in MVP voting during their respective rookie seasons.

What Does It Take to Win MVP as a Rookie?

In order to win MVP as a rookie, a player would need to be overwhelmingly better than his peers. He would need to demonstrate exceptional skill and lead his team to success.15 Winning MVP as a rookie is a tall order, but it is not impossible. There have been eight players who have won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season:

Wilt Chamberlain (1960-61)
Oscar Robertson (1960-61)
Elvin Hayes (1968-69)
Wes Unseld (1968-69)
Dave Cowens (1970-71)
Adrian Dantley (1976-77)
Michael Jordan (1984-85)
Damian Lillard (2012-13)

A Look at the Candidates

In order to qualify for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, a player must have fewer than four years of NBA experience. This means that players who have played in the NBA for four seasons or more, even if they’ve never won the Rookie of the Year Award, are not eligible. In recent years, there have been a number of players who have come close to winning the MVP award in their rookie season, but none have been able to take home the prize.

Some of the most notable players who have come close to winning MVP as a rookie include Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving. All three of these players had successful rookie seasons, but they fell just short of winning MVP. Kyrie Irving came the closest out of these three players, as he finished third in MVP voting in 2012.

Although no rookie has ever won MVP, there have been a handful of rookies who have come close. In order to win MVP, a rookie would need to have an exceptional season, and it seems that this is becoming more and more common as time goes on. With the amount of talent that is coming into the league each year, it seems inevitable that a rookie will eventually win MVP.

Conclusion

No, a rookie has never won the MVP award in the NBA. The closest a rookie has come to winning the MVP is when LeBron James was named Rookie of the Year and finished third in voting for the MVP award in 2004.