The NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award holds a special place in the hearts of basketball fans around the world. It recognizes the exceptional talent, leadership, and impact of players who have elevated their teams to new heights. Over the past decade, the league has witnessed a stellar lineup of MVP winners, each leaving an indelible mark on the sport. In this article, we take on the challenging task of ranking the last 10 MVPs, examining their performances, statistics, and the lasting legacies they have forged. From the most recent seasons to the earlier years, we delve into the incredible journeys of these superstars, unveiling who has reigned supreme and who falls slightly short in this elite group of MVPs.
10. Joel Embiid (2023)
Some of you might ask why Embiid is the worst MVP in the last 10 years. Before the 2022-2023 season ended, the battle for the award was only between the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid. It was very close, but ultimately, Embiid won it.
Although Embiid’s numbers are through the roof, making a career-high average in points, many believed he robbed Jokic of the trophy. Despite that, we can’t deny that JoJo is one of the best centers in the league today, but he has still a lot to prove. His latest choke job in the semifinal round of the playoffs took a toll on his MVP award and people are questioning his capability to lead a team.
MVP season (2022-2023) stats: 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG
9. James Harden (2018)
Houston Rockets James Harden is definitely the best version of The Beard we have seen. During Harden’s stint in Houston, he solidified himself as the most lethal scorer in the game. In 2018, Harden won the MVP over LeBron James. Both were exceptional at that time, but The Beard had 200 more points than The King in MVP voting.
2017-2018, Harden’s MVP season, isn’t even his best year. In the next two seasons, James Harden went on to average more points. However, fans already portray him as a ball hog who likes to pad his stats. Subsequently, he also can’t get past the Golden State Warriors even with All-Star teammates and his defense was pretty non-existent at the time. More times than not, Harden becomes a liability to the team.
MVP season (2017-2018) stats: 30.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.8 APG
8. Nikola Jokic (2021)
Who would have thought that the chubby kid from Serbia would go on to become an NBA MVP in the future? Well, we are now in the era where European players are dominating the league.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a huge impact on his team when he started to develop. In 2021, he was selected as the league’s MVP over Joel Embiid, Steph Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo because of his jaw-dropping performance. Jokic led the Nuggets to the third seed in 2021, bringing them to the playoffs. The year before that, it was evident that Jokic is already a superstar with how successful they were in the 2020 playoffs.
MVP season (2020-2021) stats: 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.3 APG
7. Russell Westbrook (2017)
2017 Russell Westbrook was a different beast. This was the year where he finished with a triple-double average. He becomes the second player in history to ever record a triple-double average season (the first was Oscar Robertson).
Also in 2017, Westbrook was left alone to lead OKC since Kevin Durant’s controversial move to Golden State. Even without another star, Westbrook took the team to the 6th seed in a very tight Western Conference.
MVP season (2016-2017) stats: 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 10.4 APG
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019)
Just two seasons before claiming his first MVP trophy, Giannis Antetokounmpo won the Most Improved Player of the Year (2017). The scrawny kid from Greece developed very much that he became the Milwaukee Bucks’ cornerstone, and will be that way for many more years to come.
The Greek Freak got his first MVP in 2019, but this would only mark the beginning of his greatness. That year, he came close to reaching the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, he came across to the eventual champions, the Toronto Raptors led by Kawhi Leonard. Right now, Giannis is just 28 years old but he already has a Hall-of-Fame career ahead of him.
MVP season (2018-2019) stats: 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG
5. Kevin Durant (2014)
“You the Real MVP”. Real fans would remember how great OKC Kevin Durant was, especially in the early 2010s. After reaching the NBA Finals in 2012, KD was already slated to become the next big thing, next to LeBron James.
Except for his rookie year, Durant never averaged below 25 points per game. That already makes him one of the best scorers in NBA history. But, in 2013-2014, KD posted his best scoring average of 32.0 points a night while playing 81 out of 82 games. Unfortunately, he won’t be staying for long in Oklahoma.
MVP season (2013-2014) stats: 32.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.5 APG
4. Nikola Jokic (2022)
At this time of his career, Nikola Jokic is already reaching his peak. The Serbian superstar is still continuing to improve, but his second MVP award already speaks a lot.
Many people are arguing that he is robbing Joel Embiid of another MVP (2021, 2022), but his stats, performance, and playoff success would say otherwise. Among all of the MVPs on this list, Jokic is the only one who never had an All-Star teammate in his career so far. This may seem a bit of a stretch, but he is already top 2 in the league, maybe even the best player today.
MVP season (2021-2022) stats: 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG
3. Steph Curry (2015)
In 2015, Steph Curry would create one of his most memorable seasons. He won the league MVP award and also won the championship in the same year. At the time, nobody knew that Steph Curry was already changing how we play the game of basketball.
The reason why his first MVP season was ranked so high on this list is mainly because of how he started to revolutionize the sport. Aside from 2016, this was probably Golden State’s best year. A year that fans would always remember.
MVP season (2014-2015) stats: 23.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.7 APG
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2020)
Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Giannis Antetokounmpo was already plaguing every team he plays and putting fear in his opponents. Even now, Giannis is still looming as an MVP candidate. But in 2020, after winning his first MVP, Antetokounmpo achieved his second-consecutive MVP award. The Milwaukee Bucks were the best team that season and have been that way for many years now.
In the 2019-2020 season, Giannis had the best year of his career. He was named the MVP, and the Defensive Player of the Year, and was selected to All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams. The following year, Giannis finally achieved his first chip against the Phoenix Suns (2021).
MVP season (2019-2020) stats: 29.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 5.6 APG
1. Steph Curry (2016)
If 2015 was a year that GSW fans would remember, then 2016 would be the year they will never forget. In 2016, Steph Curry won his second-consecutive MVP award. Not only that, he was the scoring champion with 30.1 PPG while shooting a whopping 45.4% from behind the arc. He also made the record for most three-pointers made in a season (402). But, that’s not all. Steph Curry also led the Warriors to a 73-9 record, making them the best in history. Moreover, he became the first-ever unanimous MVP. Truthfully, it was Curry’s best year … almost.
The 73-9 Warriors team were already one win away from winning their second championship as they were up 3-1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the unimaginable happened and LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and the Cavaliers turned things around, making the first 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history. Despite that, 2016’s Steph Curry is still the best MVP.
MVP season (2015-2016) stats: 30.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.7 APG
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