Only 4 Shooting Guards Who Have Won The MVP Award: Michael Jordan Is The Only One Who Won More Than One

Perhaps the most flashy position in NBA history is the shooting guard position. Some of the NBA’s most entertaining scorers have started at the two-guard position, with players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant undoubtedly setting the bar. The best shooting guards have achieved a great deal on an individual and a team level and have left their mark on NBA history. After all, the position has become highly well-known thanks to Jordan and Bryant, who are perhaps the two best perimeter scorers of all time. However, even NBA champions and superstars like Dwyane Wade and Jerry West have won numerous individual honors, thrilling fans across the world.

Not to mention, the very elite shooting guards have managed to win the coveted MVP award. The MVP award trophy is the most valuable accolade in the regular season because nothing entails being the best player in the game more than hoisting that individual trophy at the end of the year. Sure, winning an NBA championship and even a Finals MVP trophy is more important than anything else, but an MVP accolade victory is a very bright spot for even the greatest players of all time. When looking at shooting guards, only a very few have managed to win the MVP award.

Looking back at the very start of the NBA until the end of the 2022 season, here are the MVP winners at the shooting guard position. Only one name will appear more than once, and only a total of 4 shooting guards have managed to take their teams to an entirely different level by dominating the court during an 82-game season and running away with the individual awards in tight races. Without further ado, here is every MVP award winner at the shooting guard spot in NBA history.

1987-88 MVP Award Winner – Michael Jordan

MVP Statistics: 35.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 3.2 SPG, 1.6 BPG

Most people agree that Michael Jordan’s 1988 MVP campaign was his best season ever, focusing mainly on the regular season. Although there were many candidates for that honor, it is difficult to contest that, given how the 24-year-old performed for the Chicago Bulls. Michael was supremely dominant on the floor, doing everything on both ends of the floor and leading the team into the playoffs despite not having much talent.

Jordan was the league’s top scorer for the second year in a row, averaging 35.0 PPG while shooting an incredible 53.5% from the field and 84.1% from the charity stripe. Jordan won Defensive Player of the Year as a guard and led the league in steals, incredible achievements. Jordan was making remarkable contributions at a young age, even though it was still Larry Bird and Magic Johnson’s league.

Topping off that season was a Dunk Contest trophy (his second) after defeating “The Human Highlight Film” Dominique Wilkins. MJ’s 1988 season was the first one in which the shooting guard finally captured a basket of goods because an MVP, scoring title, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA selection, All-Star selection, and Dunk Contest trophy was a spectacular return. If only Jordan would have won a title because it would have been the best season of all time.

1990-91 MVP Award Winner – Michael Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcRuItRQ6_s

MVP Statistics: 31.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Jordan’s 1988 season garners the majority of attention due to his incredible number of accomplishments, but his 1991 campaign might be more important. The legendary Bulls guard won the scoring title and the NBA championship at the end of the NBA season, and even if it did not lead to another Defensive Player of the Year award, the superstar player undoubtedly dominated on the defensive end as well.

By averaging 31.5 PPG on 53.5% field goal shooting and placing third in the league in SPG, MJ earned his fifth consecutive scoring title. The most significant accomplishment of Jordan’s campaign was winning the NBA championship with a 61-21 record, which was the best in the East. Finally, Jordan looked like he had enough help in the regular season to finally get over the hump and defeat their major rivals.

With star player Scottie Pippen elevating his play and Phil Jackson pulling all the strings, Michael Jordan had all he needed to dominate the NBA once and for all. The first target? The Detroit Pistons. Michael was not only the best player in the regular season (winning his 2nd MVP award) but also took the hearts of opponents in the playoffs.

1991-92 MVP Award Winner – Michael Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8eXbRuLI9s

MVP Statistics: 30.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 6.1 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG

For the second-straight year, Michael Jordan won the MVP award with the Chicago Bulls to go along with his second straight championship. The 1992 season marked Jordan’s 3rd MVP award, and he certainly deserved it, considering he led the league in scoring for the 6th season in a row. As expected, Jordan also led the NBA in win shares with a 17.7 win shares rating.

The Chicago Bulls finished with an incredible 67-15 record, and Jordan ended up getting the appropriate help for the second year in a row. Michael was spectacular on both ends of the floor again and took the reigns in the league by making the NBA his home once and for all. Averaging 30.1 PPG on 51.9% shooting and chipping in 6.4 RPG and 6.1 APG, no player was as dominant as the legendary Bulls guard.

Jordan finished 1st in the MVP race with 900 points won ahead of Clyde Drexler (561 points) and Davis Robinson (337 points). With Jordan finishing first in the MVP race ahead of Drexler and eventually meeting in the 1992 Finals, it was clear who was going to finish in second again. Michael took comparisons of Drexler to heart, and he dominated the court in the regular season and eventually the NBA Finals.

1995-96 MVP Award Winner – Michael Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsNiCwlryIg

MVP Statistics: 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG

In the 1995-96 season, Michael Jordan averaged 30.4 PPG on 49.5% shooting from the field in his first full season following his retirement. The guard assumed his position as the best player in the world almost immediately, winning his 8th scoring title in his 9th season. MJ was not only an elite scorer but a dominant defensive player who managed to prove his worth as a lockdown talent once again.

It was certainly amazing to see Jordan and sidekick Scottie Pippen lead the Chicago Bulls to a (then) record-breaking 72-10 record and a 4th NBA championship so quickly. It did take a brief hiatus by Jordan during his first retirement, but the shooting guard bounced back to a superstar level in the first full season back. Remember, Jordan was unavailable in 1994, as he played baseball, and he missed the majority of the 1995 season.

Michael’s averages of 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.2 SPG were evidence of the best player in the game, and he was surely missed during the 1994 (and 1995 season in which he played only 17 games). With his 4th MVP award in his grasp and 4th championship at the end of the year, was there any doubt who the best player in the world was?

1997-98 MVP Award Winner – Michael Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyKrpMnf0Tc

MVP Statistics: 28.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Michael Jordan once again became on top with his 4th MVP award in a decade by winning his 10th scoring title for the 62-20 Chicago Bulls. As expected, the Bulls had the best record in the East while also tying the Utah Jazz in terms of the best record in the entire league. Jordan’s dominance was on full display, posting 28.7 PPG on 46.5% shooting from the field.

Even if Karl Malone led the league in win shares (16.4), Jordan’s Bulls were a more attractive team thanks to the shooting guard’s elite two-way play. Chicago got the job done at the end of the year as well, eventually defeating the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals. At the heart of it was none other than Michael Jordan.

The GOAT, at the end of the 1998 NBA season, had 5 MVP awards, 6 championships, and 6 Finals MVPs to form an all-time great resume. This would be the last time we would see Michael at an MVP level because after a three-year hiatus for his second retirement, he would only play in the 2002 and 2003 seasons at age 38 and 39 in what would become retirement tours.

2000-01 MVP Award Winner – Allen Iverson

MVP Statistics: 31.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Legendary offensive player Allen “The Answer” Iverson put forth splendid performances during the 2001 season, posting monster statistics and leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a solid 56-26 record which led the Eastern Conference in the NBA. The shooting guard was hell-bent on dominating the offensive side of the floor and even managed to lead the NBA in points per game and almost averaged 26 shots per game overall. He shot 42.0% from the field, 32.0% from three, and 81.4% from the stripe.

Of course, Iverson did his job as a scorer better than anyone else by playing alongside mainly defensive players as his teammates. The Answer was literally all over the court, doing everything in his power to create one of the best single-man offenses in recent memory. Under head coach Larry Brown, the 76ers became known as a defensive team that was built around Allen Iverson’s offense. Iverson, quite frankly, was at the heart of the team, and opponents had no answer for the shooting guard over the majority of the season.

With the MVP in his grasp, Iverson firmly entered the race for being one of the top-five greatest players in the game at the time. With Iverson’s ability to slice towards the rim and also drain moving jumpers from mid-field, opponents had to play him smartly or risk the shooting guard getting easy shots at the rim. Thanks to Iverson’s scoring, the 76ers were one of the most exciting teams in the league and eventually made it to the NBA Finals in 2001.

2007-08 MVP Award Winner – Kobe Bryant

MVP Statistics: 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Kobe Bryant was obviously deserving of the MVP in 2008, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to 57 wins and the best record in the Western Conference. Kobe was at his best, orchestrating one of the best offenses in the league by carrying it night after night. The superstar shooting guard arguably should have had an MVP award to his name already (think either 2005 or 2006), but he was edged by Steve Nash at the time. But it was only a matter of time before The Black Mamba won his MVP trophy.

Even with the presence of Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant had to carry the Lakers on his back and averaged 28.3 PPG to lead the charge for the Purple and Gold to the postseason. The shooting guard was absolutely the leader of the team and deserved MVP consideration, especially considering how he was “robbed” of at least one MVP award. Unfortunately for Kobe and the Lakers, they could not capitalize as they lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Bryant had a ton of great years as a superstar player, but he was at his peak in 2008, considering how dominant he was at reading defenses, controlling the pace of the game, and even making the right plays. Kobe shot 45.9% from the field, 36.1% from three, and 84.0% from the free-throw line, very solid shooting numbers from a player who took a ton of shots and faced constant double and triple-teams.

2017-18 MVP Award Winner- James Harden

MVP Statistics: 30.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG

James Harden was an absolute monster in his prime and was completely unguardable in his MVP season. He was so special that he managed to win the MVP over LeBron James, the most dominant player in the game at that time in terms of accolades and status. Harden began going down as one of the greatest isolation players of all time and also arguably the greatest stat-sheet stuffer at the shooting guard position since Michael Jordan.

The Beard captivated audiences with exceptional speed and offensive ability because he was unstoppable at attacking the rim. The shooting guard was the most spectacular offensive player in the game, capturing his first scoring title at 28 years old. In his first MVP season, James drew constant double-teams and was still able to make everyone around him better. Even while posting a league-leading 30.4 PPG, he was still an elite passer.

The Beard was dominant on the court, chipping in 8.8 APG while also playing the passing lanes extremely well. Harden began staking his claim as a top-3 player in the world, and to many, he was the best player during the regular season in 2018 because the Houston Rockets finished with the best record in the NBA with 65 wins. 

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