The 1990 season saw incredible basketball action from some of the greatest players ever, with the “Bad Boy” Pistons getting crowned as NBA champions at the end of the year. Winning their second straight championship, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals thanks to the brilliance of the Finals MVP performance by Isiah Thomas. The legendary point guard put up an All-Star stat line of 27.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG in the Finals.
- Honorable Mention
- David Robinson – 102 MVP Points
- 5. Patrick Ewing – 162 MVP Points
- 4. Karl Malone – 214 MVP Points
- 3. Michael Jordan – 564 MVP Points
- 2. Charles Barkley – 614 MVP Points
- 1. Magic Johnson – 636 MVP Points
- Stats: 22.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 11.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
- Next
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Amazingly, Thomas or any other Pistons player was not in the MVP race during the regular season; as there were other superstar talents that competed for the award all season long. Michael Jordan was not yet the king of the league as he was waiting on Scottie Pippen to help him in the playoffs, as the Pistons defeated the Bulls in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. As competitive as the playoffs were, the MVP race was almost as tight.
It is amazing to see how many Hall of Famers were competing for the regular-season award, and the 1990 season captivated fans all around the world. Fans were blessed to see the remnants of the Showtime Lakers, Michael Jordan competing with the Bad Boy Pistons, and the brilliance of some all-time great big men (David Robinson, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley) score the ball at an elite level. Here are is how the 1990 MVP race finished, with one superstar player claiming the award over Michael Jordan and other terrific players.
Honorable Mention
David Robinson – 102 MVP Points
Stats: 24.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.9 BPG
A superstar big man in his rookie season, David Robinson entered the league with a bang. The Spurs made a terrific decision to select Robinson No. 1 overall, and he was sensational on both ends of the floor. Averaging a double-double and leading the Spurs to a top-3 seed in the West, Robinson had one of the best rookie campaigns ever. Interestingly, Robinson was taken first overall in the 1987 Draft but due to military service, the big man had to wait for two years before making his appearance on the court.
Robinson also almost helped the Spurs get to the Western Conference Finals, losing in 7 games in the second round to the Portland Trail Blazers. It is amazing a rookie finished top-6 in the MVP race, as he was unable to crack the top-5 despite being one of the best two-way centers in the league as the 2nd leading rebounder and 3rd leading shot-blocker. A terrific post scorer with a capable mid-range jumper, Robinson would soon compete for MVP awards.
5. Patrick Ewing – 162 MVP Points
Stats: 28.6 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 4.0 BPG
The legendary New York Knicks center was also sensational during the 1990 season, helping his team make the playoffs and into the second round against the championship Detroit Pistons. Ewing ranked 3rd in scoring, 5th in rebounds, and 2nd in blocks during the regular season. A dominant post player, Ewing was the brightest spot for the Knicks team that did not have many talents outside of defensive enforcer Charles Oakley at 26 years old.
Ewing was tasked with carrying the load of the Knicks on both ends of the floor, dominating the defensive end and also being one of the best scorers in the league. New York were not a great team by any means, finishing with the league’s 11th best record and ranking 12th in offense. Without Ewing’s dominance, the team would have been much worse off which is why the center was in the MVP race despite an average 45-37 regular-season record.
4. Karl Malone – 214 MVP Points
Stats: 31.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Karl Malone was in a ton of MVP races over his career, winning the award 2 times. In 1990, Karl Malone was at his offensive best by averaging his career-high 31.0 PPG on 56.2% field-goal shooting. The superstar power forward had a shot of finishing in the top-3 of the MVP race, but the league was stacked with superstar talent that somehow managed to usurp what the Jazz legend did. Malone was incredibly efficient from the field, but the presence of John Stockton (league-leading assist-man) might have taken some votes away from The Mailman.
Malone ranked 2nd in scoring, 4th in rebounds, and led the Utah Jazz to a terrific 55-27 record which was good for 4th in the Western Conference. With Malone nailing his patented mid-range shots and a dynamic post-game, the Jazz were still unable to defeat the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs thanks to Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson. As great as Malone was with his career-high PPG average, he was outplayed by Charles Barkley during the regular season.
3. Michael Jordan – 564 MVP Points
Stats: 33.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.3 APG, 2.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Even if Jordan was still getting beat down by the Detroit Pistons and not able to win a championship just yet, the shooting guard was probably still the most talented player in the game. The Bulls star continued putting up incredible numbers, ranking 1st in PPG and 1st in SPG. The dominant shooting guard locked down most guards and was still the best scorer in the world by winning his 4th straight scoring title.
The Chicago Bulls went as Michael Jordan went, and they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, Jordann ran into too many Pistons enforcers and was unable to catapult over them in Game 7. What Jordan did for the Bulls was invaluable, because the team finished with the 2nd best seed in the Eastern Conference behind Isiah Thomas and the Pistons. The Pistons were NBA champions and there was no shame in Jordan finishing second to the Pistons during the regular season and playoffs because he would have won MVP in any other year if not for two superstar players.
2. Charles Barkley – 614 MVP Points
Stats: 25.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG
The fact that Charles Barkley was able to beat out 4 other elite Hall of Famers to finish second in the MVP award just shows how exceptional the 6’6” power forward was in the 1990 season. If it wasn’t for Barkley’s dominance and leadership for the Philadelphia 76ers, Karl Malone would have been regarded as the best big man in the game and Michael Jordan would have earned more MVP votes. The 76ers finished with a 53-29 record, good for 3rd in the East. The squad also made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, on the back of future MVP Charles Barkley.
The power forward ranked 3rd in rebounds and 6th in scoring, highlighting the superstar’s ability to impact the game. In fact, Barkley also managed to make others around him better due to his interior presence and natural leadership skills. In most seasons, carrying a team in a loaded Eastern Conference to the playoffs as a 3rd seed and impacting the game at a superstar level would be enough to earn MVP. But Barkley would have to wait until 1993 to win his first award because he finished runner-up to the greatest point guard ever.
1. Magic Johnson – 636 MVP Points
Stats: 22.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 11.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
The greatest point guard ever, Magic Johnson won his second straight MVP award and his third overall. The 6’9” point guard was not only the best playmaker in the game but by far the best leader on the court. Magic had a knack for making others around him better, and he did it consistently with the Los Angeles Lakers. Thanks to Magic’s ability with the ball in his hands, the Lakers finished with the best record in the West with a 63-19 record.
As expected, the best player on the best team in the league won the MVP award. Magic finished 2nd in APG behind John Stockton, 18th in scoring, and 17th in steals. The legendary point guard was one of the greatest talents the league had seen and was the architect of the magical “Showtime” Lakers. Johnson was not able to capitalize on a great season with a championship, but he was still able to win his 3rd MVP award and would not add another title to his 5 rings. Nonetheless, Magic did enough to scrape past Charles Barkley in an all-time great MVP race in 1990.
