Michael Jordan won almost every accolade there was to win during his prime, the GOAT was named MVP of the league 5 times during his career. The 90s were his decade as he won 6 championships in that era, and this was despite playing against various other legendary players, names such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas, David Robinson, and Charles Barkley.
With this much talent around the league, it would have been impossible for even Jordan to win the MVP every season. And as such, every once in a while, some other player would get the award, as Charles Barkley did in 1993. And while it’s difficult to argue that Chuck wasn’t a deserving member, both MJ and then Knicks coach Pat Riley implied in their comments at the time that another player could have won it.
https://twitter.com/Rules23Jordan/status/1548294915624697856
Pat Riley: “All the people out there that vote, you know, have their reasons. But I mean Patrick, in his last two seasons, his team went from 39 wins to 51 and then 51 to 60. And getting a team to win 9 more games in the 50s is very hard to do. And we have improved every year and he has been the major factor in that. But our hats go off to Charles, because he, like the other three, would be deserving.”
Michael Jordan: “He was supposed to be the star in the sunshine, the raisin in the sun or whatever. And he did that. He took that team where they needed to go. And they rewarded him for that. And yes, it’s a dubious reward, certainly.”
Jordan could feel like he should have won it, considering that he averaged 7 more points per game than Charles Barkley that season. MJ had 32.6 points per game, while Barkley had 25.6, but the Round Mound of Rebound grabbed 12.2 boards per game as well, much more than MJ. The Suns also had the best record in the league, and Barkley had more points and rebounds per game than Ewing, so it makes sense that he won it over the Knicks star as well.
MJ would go on to use this perceived slight as fuel in the NBA Finals when the Bulls beat the Suns to clinch their first three-peat. MJ took home a ring and a Finals MVP, something Barkley was never able to get in his career. In any case, it just goes to show that MVP voting has never been something that stars across the league can agree upon.
