The 2000s boasted some of the best players the NBA has ever seen. From Tim Duncan to Allen Iverson, the league was stacked with incredibly talented players. Perhaps two of the most well-known players, though, were the Los Angeles Lakers duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Regarded as the best center in the league and the best shooting guard in the league in the 2000s, both Shaq and Kobe had their time in the limelight. Often putting up performances worthy of a highlight reel, the Lakers probably had two of the best players of the decade in their ranks.
While their list of accolades certainly speaks for itself, there might be a gaping hole in their resume, the number of MVP trophies. Although both Kobe and Shaq won an MVP trophy each, considering the numbers and performances they put up, many consider that the duo at least deserved one or two more MVP trophies each.
Former teammate Robert Horry certainly thinks so. In a recent episode of the Big Shot Bob podcast, Horry claimed that Kobe and Shaq should have won more MVP trophies and criticized the league’s decision to reward Hall of Famer guard Steve Nash.
“Speaking of Kobe winning only one MVP, which is ridiculous. If you think about it, Shaq won one, Kobe won one, Steve Nash won two… I can understand when people like, Jokic winning back to back. He legitimately had a better season this last season than the previous season.”
“In Steve Nash’s case, he had the exact same damn season. In that case, Jordan should have been the MVP every time he was in the damn league. He had to do something extraordinary to win MVP.”
While Horry certainly raises a great point, calling out a player like Nash might be uncalled for. Although the numbers that Shaq and Kobe put up might be much better than that of Nash, the guard certainly had a great impact on the Suns, transforming them from a 29-53 team in the 2003-04 season to a 62-20 team in the 2004-05 season.
Given how important a team record is in an MVP race, it was no surprise to see the guard win the MVP trophy. Unless and until the league changes its voting system, the MVP voting will tend to prefer players who are on winning teams and will overlook players with insane stats. Shaq and Kobe certainly suffered because of it. What do you think about the MVP voting system?
