Winning an MVP award in the NBA is no easy feat. Chosen by a panel of basketball analysts, insiders, and observers, the award only gets handed out to the guy who is the most valuable, which usually means the best player on the best team.
Over the years, this league has seen many MVP winners and some had better overall seasons than others.
Well, on the Players’ Tribune, Nets star Kevin Durant (who is a former MVP winner himself) was asked to rank the top five greatest MVP seasons ever, and his response sparked a lot of conversation on the topic.
Kevin Durant’s top 5 MVP seasons of all-time:
1998 Michael Jordan
1988 Michael Jordan
1994 Hakeem Olajuwon
2010 LeBron James
2008 Kobe Bryant
(Via @PlayersTribune ) pic.twitter.com/l3Ie6xYh0x
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 2, 2020
Michael Jordan won MVP five times over the course of his career: 1988 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998. Often it is MJ’s 1991 season that is regarded as his best — he averaged 31.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game as he won both the scoring title and the Championship. Interestingly, KD doesn’t include that season at all in his top five.
Still, it’s hard to argue that the 1998 and 88 MVPs don’t belong at the top. 1998, especially, is pretty memorable because it ended with the Bulls superstar capping off his second-three-peat and taking home his sixth total Championship.
In 1994, Hakeem won MVP averaging 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, and a whopping 3.7 blocks per game. It is also the only time in history a player has won the MVP, the Championship, the Finals MVP, and the Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.
LeBron’s 2010 MVP is probably the most controversial on KD’s list. To many, it’s probably the worst MVP season out of the four. However, that year was the height of Bron’s athletic prime and his stats (29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game) certainly deem it worthy of the placement.
Durant puts Kobe’s MVP season at fifth All-Time. Though the Mamba and his Lakers team did not win the title that year, he was dominant the whole time, putting up 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.
Obviously, with so many MVP winners over the years, it’s hard to choose which are the best. Durant’s list does seem pretty fair, all things considered, but what would you change?
