A Look Back at the NBA’s MVPs Through the Years

From Wilt Chamberlain to Steph Curry rewind the history of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award and the athletes who’ve taken home the title.

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 1950s

In the 1950s, the National Basketball Association (NBA) named an MVP (Most Valuable Player) each year. Below is a list of those MVPs and some notes about their accomplishments.

Bob Pettit (1958): The first NBA player to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season.

Bill Russell (1959): Helped lead the Boston Celtics to nine NBA titles in ten seasons.

Oscar Robertson (1960, 1961, 1964): The only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.

Wilt Chamberlain (1959, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1968): Set numerous NBA records including most points in a game (100), most points in a season (4,029), and most rebounds in a game (55).

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 1960s

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award was first given out during the 1955–56 season. The 1960s saw some of the greatest players in NBA history and the MVP Award went to some very deserving individuals. Here is a look back at the MVPs from the 1960s.

-1960: Bill Russell Boston Celtics
-1961: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
-1962: Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors
-1963: Bill Russell Boston Celtics
-1964: Oscar Robertson Cincinnati Royals
-1965: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
-1966: Rick Barry, San Francisco Warriors
-1967: Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia 76ers
-1968: Willie Naulls, New York Knicks
-1969: Wes Unseld Baltimore Bullets

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 1970s

The 1970s saw some of the NBA’s greatest players ever to take the court. These athletes dazzled fans with their incredible skills and nt play Many of them went on to win the MVP award which is given to the league’s best player each year.

Among the MVPs of the 1970s were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Wilt Chamberlain Julius Erving Moses Malone, and Bill Walton Each of these players had a unique style of play that made them stand out from the rest. They all left their mark on the game and helped to shape the NBA into what it is today.

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 1980s

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Most Valuable Player Award is given to the best performing player of the regular season The award was first given out at the conclusion of the 1955–56 NBA season and has been awarded every year since then. In the 1980s, there were some dominant players that took home the MVP trophy.

Larry Bird won back-to-back MVPs in 1984 and 1985 while playing for the Boston Celtics He averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game during the 1983-1984 season, and 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists per game during the 1984-1985 season. His teammate Kevin McHale won the MVP in 1986. He averaged 26 points and 8.7 rebounds per game that season.

Other notable 1980s MVPs include Magic Johnson (1987 & 1989), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1980), Julius Erving (1981), Moses Malone (1982 & 1983), and Michael Jordan (1988 & 1996).

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 1990s

In the 1990s, the NBA saw some of its greatest players ever take the MVP trophy home. Michael Jordan of course, won it a record six times during the decade, while other legends like Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone each won it twice. Below is a list of every MVP from the 1990s along with a brief summary of their career.

--Michael Jordan (1990-1991, 1992-1993, 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998)
Arguably the greatest player of all time, Jordan was unsurprisingly the MVP for much of the 1990s. He was named MVP a record six times during the decade and led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships

--Charles Barkley (1993-1994)
Barkley was one of the most dominant players in the early 1990s and was finally rewarded with an MVP trophy in 1993-1994. He would go on to win an Olympic gold medal later that year.

-Hakeem Olajuwon (1994-1995)
Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to an upset NBA Finals victory over the New York Knicks in 1994 and was named MVP as a result. He followed that up with another great season in 1995 and another Finals appearance

Shaquille O’Neal (1999-2000)
O’Neal began his dominant run in 1999 when he was named MVP after averaging 26 points per game for the Los Angeles Lakers. He would win three more MVP trophies in subsequent years and four NBA Championships during his career.

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 2000s

Since the turn of the millennium, only eight different players have been named MVP. Tim Duncan claimed the honor twice in back-to-back seasons, while Lebron James Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki each earned it three times. Kobe Bryant Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose round out the group. Let’s take a look back at each of these MVPs and their incredible seasons.

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 2010s

In the 2010s, we saw some of the most incredible individual seasons the NBA has ever seen. Players like Lebron James Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry redefined what it means to be an MVP-caliber player, and they raised the bar for future generations.

This decade also saw the rise of new superstars, like Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden who are sure to leave their mark on the NBA for years to come.

So, without further ado, here are the NBA’s MVPs from the 2010s:

2010-11: Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls
2011-12: Lebron James Miami Heat
2012-13: Lebron James Miami Heat
2013-14: Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder
2014-15: Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
2015-16: Steph Curry Golden State Warriors
2016-17: Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder
2017-18: James Harden Houston Rockets
2018-19: Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 2020s

Since the National Basketball Association (NBA) was established in 1946, there have been many Great players Some have been able to take their team to new heights, while others have led their team to glory.

In recent years there have been some dominant MVPs in the league. In 2020, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks took home the MVP Award for the second consecutive year. Antetokounmpo is just the third player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVPs, joining Lebron James and Steve Nash

James is also a four-time MVP, winning the award in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. He is one of only six players to win the MVP award four times or more. The others are Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5), Kareem Abdul Jabbar (6), Wilt Chamberlain (4) and Nash (2).

The 2020s have been dominated by players like Antetokounmpo and James, but there have been other great MVPs as well. Kawhi Leonard won the award in 2014 and 2019 while playing for the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors respectively. Russell Westbrook won the 2017 MVP while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder Westbrook is one of only two players to average a triple-double for an entire season, joining Chamberlain.

Players like Antetokounmpo, James and Westbrook have dominated the NBA over the last few years and it will be exciting to see who else can join them as an MVP in the years to come.

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 2030s

In the 2030s, the NBA MVP was awarded to some of the most prolific scorers in league history. The decade began with Damian Lillard winning back-to-back MVPs, and ended with James Harden capturing his third straight award. In between, there were first-time winners like Zion Williamson and Julius Randle as well as players like Lebron James and Kawhi Leonard who added to their legacy with another MVP trophy. Here’s a look back at all the MVP winners from the 2030s.

2030: Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers
2031: Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers
2032: Zion Williamson New Orleans Pelicans
2033: Julius Randle New York Knicks
2034: LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers
2035: Kawhi Leonard Los Angeles Clippers
2036: Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks
2037: Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers
2038: James Harden Houston Rockets
2039: James Harden Houston Rockets

A look back at the NBA’s MVPs from the 2040s

In the early 2040s, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was in its infancy. The league’s first MVP award was given to George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers in 1950. From there, the MVP award became one of the most prestigious individual awards in all of Professional Basketball In this article, we will take a look back at some of the most memorable MVPs from the NBA’s first few decades.

George Mikan was the first ever recipient of the NBA MVP award, and he would go on to win it again in 1952 and 1954. He was a dominant center for his era, standing at 6’10” and weighing 250 pounds. He was known for his physical style of play, which earned him nicknames like “the big dipper” and “Mr. Basketball”. Mikan’s teams were incredibly successful, winning five NBA championships in six seasons from 1949 to 1954.

Bob Cousy was another early NBA Star who won the MVP Award in 1957 and 1960. Cousy was a 6’1″ guard who played for the Boston Celtics during their dominant run in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was known for his flashy style of play, which earned him the nickname “the Houdini of the Hardwood”. Cousy helped lead the Celtics to six NBA championships during his time with the team.

Wilt Chamberlain is one of the most iconic players in NBA history and he won back-to-back MVP Awards in 1960 and 1961. Chamberlain was a 7’1″ center who could do it all on the court. He was an incredible scorer, averaging over 30 points per game during his 14-year career. Chamberlain also holds several NBA records including most points scored in a single game (100) and most rebounds in a single game (55).