Who Was the NBA MVP in 2020?

The answer may surprise you. The 2020 NBA MVP was…

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. He led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA, and they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Giannis is a 6’11” forward who can play point guard, and he is one of the best players in the NBA.

Regular season

During the regular season, Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points (on over 56% shooting), 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block in just 30.4 minutes per game. He was the only player in the league to average at least 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, and he did so while playing fewer minutes than any other starter in the league. He led the Bucks to a league-best 60-22 record and the firstseed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. For his efforts, he was unanimously named MVP of the regular season.

Playoffs

In the playoffs, he helped lead the Bucks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2001. He averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in 18 playoff games as the Bucks ultimately lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games. Antetokounmpo was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2019–20 season on September 18, 2020, becoming the first European player to win the award and second player born outside the United States after Steve Nash in 2005 and 2006.

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. James was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) four times, the NBA Finals MVP three times, and the NBA All-Star Game MVP twice.

Regular season

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player Award 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 2011, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since 2012, it has been awarded by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

In June 2005, LeBron James won the prestigious award for the first time in his young career. James averaged 31 points per game during the regular season, which was enough to earn him MVP honors. He continued his strong play in the playoffs, leading the Cavaliers to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance. Although they ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs in four games, James cemented himself as one of the league’s best players.

In 2009–10, James had one of his best statistical seasons yet, averaging 29.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. He led the Cavaliers to an NBA-best 61–21 record and was once again named MVP. In 2010–11, James averaged 26.7 points per game as he led the Miami Heat to their first NBA championship since 2006. He was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.6 points per game during the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James has been named MVP on four occasions (2005, 2006, 2009–10), tied for sixth-most all time

Playoffs

The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are a postseason tournament annually contested by the thirty best teams in the NBA following the conclusion of the NBA regular season. Sixty-seven percent of NBA players are black, and as of 2020, eight of the last ten league MVPs have been black. Out of the last fifteen Finals MVPs, eleven have been black. In 2020, both the league MVP and Finals MVP were black for the first time in history.

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Leonard played two seasons of college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs, and was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both of them. He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the fifteenth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on the night of the draft.

Regular season

Kawhi Leonard won the NBA MVP award for the 2020 regular season. He averaged 27.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 49-23 record. Leonard’s main competition for the MVP award was Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won the award in 2019 and 2018.

Playoffs

Kawhi Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history in 2019. He was named the Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the series. Leonard then left the Raptors to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency.

Other contenders

While James Harden had an incredible individual season, there were other players who had great seasons as well. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Damian Lillard were all great players who were in the running for the MVP award.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis was one of the best players in the NBA in 2020. He was a key player on the Los Angeles Lakers team that won the NBA championship. He averaged 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during the regular season, and he was even better in the playoffs. He was named the NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Lakers to victory.

James Harden

James Harden took home the MVP award in 2020 after a stellar season with the Houston Rockets. He averaged 34.3 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game, leading the Rockets to the best record in the Western Conference. Harden was also named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Star team for the fourth time in his career.

Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard was born on July 15, 1990, in Oakland, California. He went to high school at Saint Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda, California, where he was a star player on the basketball team. He then attended Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012.

Lillard has been named an All-Star five times and was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013. He has also been named to the All-NBA First Team three times and the All-NBA Second Team twice. In 2020, he was named the NBA MVP after leading the Blazers to the playoffs.

Who should have won?

The 2020 NBA MVP is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. He beat out LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and James Harden of the Houston Rockets for the award.