A History of MVP Runners-Up (Part Two)

6 min readMay 14, 2022

Editor’s Note — This article was originally published in September 2020 and does not reflect the 2021 and 2022 MVP results.

Apart from winning the championship, earning the distinction of league MVP is the single most beneficial accolade a player can add to their legacy. Identification as the league’s best player over the course of an entire season reflects a supreme degree of talent, respectability, and ability to win games. With only thirty-four players staking a claim to the award as of 2020, recognition as MVP remains incredibly selective and prestigious. The award is impressive, yet reductive, as there is only one winner and the rest of the league is relegated to the loser category. Understandably, the circumstances of this award place tremendous weight on every player’s legacy.

Given the impact the presence, or lack thereof, this recognition can have on a player’s legacy, it is the ideal starting point for Hypo Hoops. Over the course of the next several posts, we will dissect the MVP award from every angle possible and explore how MVP selections have shaped our views on many of the game’s all-time greats.

Today, we begin by reviewing the players who came closest to MVP immortality. Logically, the MVP runner-up is deemed to have had the second-best season of any player in the league. This is a notable feat, though it is often underappreciated. Therefore, we will shine a light on the league’s second-best by crafting a hypothetical that removes the winner from the equation…

Hypothetical — What if every MVP winner missed their MVP winning season(s) due to injury or suspension and the real-life runners-up had won the award instead?

Part one will start by breaking down the new hypothetical winners by decade. We’ll add some context and analysis in part two later this week.

1950s and 60s

1956- Paul Arizin
1957- Bob Pettit
1958- Dolph Schayes
1959- Bill Russell
1960- Bill Russell
1961- Bob Pettit
1962- Wilt Chamberlain
1963- Elgin Baylor
1964- Wilt Chamberlain
1965- Oscar Robertson
1966- Jerry West
1967- Nate Thurmond
1968- Lenny Wilkens
1969- Willis Reed

In real life, the MVP award was predominantly shared by Bill Russll and Wilt Chamberlain within this time frame. Russell and Chamberlain essentially cannibalized each other, each earning an impressive total of wins while being blocked by the other from earning a record-setting total. Curiously, Chamberlain and Russell rarely finished as runner-up to the other and, as a result, our new hypothetical list of winners is delightfully eclectic. Russell and Chamberlain remain in the mix with two MVPs each and Bob Pettit and Oscar Robertson remain unchanged as Pettit still garners two wins and Robertson collects one. The rest of the hypothetical winners are a who’s who of the decade’s stars who were blocked from the trophy by the two revolutionary centers. Paul Arizin, Dolph Schayes, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West were all undoubtedly MVP caliber players but never laid their hands on the trophy in real life. Likewise, Nate Thurmond and Lenny Wilkens were stalwart stars of the late 60s and early 70s and their (already impressive) legacies would have been substantially more revered with an MVP.

1970s

1970- Jerry West
1971- Jerry West
1972- Jerry West
1973- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1974- Bob McAdoo
1975- Dave Cowens
1976- Bob McAdoo
1977- Bill Walton
1978- George Gervin
1979- George Gervin

The 70s are highlighted by the bookended repeat wins of Jerry West and George Gervin. Adding three more hypothetical wins to his prior one in 1966, Jerry West now leads the field with four total hypothetical MVPs. Had West been a four-time MVP in real life, he’d likely be in the discussion of the five greatest players ever. Similarly, had Gervin won back-to-back MVPs, he’d likely be remembered as much more than an all-time great scorer, but also a well-rounded winner. Elsewhere, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s real-life haul of four MVPs in the 70s decreases to one, which is somewhat surprising to see since his dominance of the decade should theoretically lead to more runner-up spots. Dave Cowens and Bill Walton remain at one trophy apiece, while Willis Reed shifts his real-life 1970 win to a hypothetical 1969 win and Bob McAdoo increases his total from one to two. Again, a second MVP trophy would have done wonders for McAdoo’s reputation.

1980s

1980- Julius Erving
1981- Larry Bird
1982- Larry Bird
1983- Larry Bird
1984- Bernard King
1985- Magic Johnson
1986- Dominique Wilkins
1987- Michael Jordan
1988- Larry Bird
1989- Michael Jordan

Astoundingly, Larry Bird is able to not only replicate his real-life back-to-back-to-back MVP wins in this scenario but is also able add a fourth trophy as well! Seven top-two finishes in MVP voting in a single decade is an astonishing feat. Julius Erving is still able to nab an award and Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson swap spots with Magic going from two trophies to one and Jordan going from one to two. The most exciting development is seeing two of the 80s most dominant scorers in Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins earn recognition. Had these two won these trophies, it is very possible that both would have been included in the NBA’s Fifty Greatest Players ceremony in 1997. These improvements come at the expense of Moses Malone, who is unable to replace any of his three real-life wins from 1979, 1982, and 1983. Similarly, with no hypothetical wins in the 80s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar drops from six real life trophies to just one hypothetical trophy.

1990s

1990- Charles Barkley
1991- Magic Johnson
1992- Clyde Drexler
1993- Hakeem Olajuwon
1994- David Robinson
1995- Shaquille O’Neal
1996- David Robinson
1997- Michael Jordan
1998- Karl Malone
1999- Alonzo Mourning

The most obvious change of the 1990s is Michael Jordan dropping from four MVPs to just one. However, this is understandable given the fact that he was retired for two and a half of these seasons. Alas, given his two wins in the 80s, Jordan still possesses an impressive three hypothetical MVPs. Clyde Drexler and Alonzo Mourning are the two new winners of the decade and Shaquille O’Neal adds a win in the 90s, contrasting his sole real-life win coming in the following decade. Karl Malone drops from two wins to one, David Robinson goes from one to two, and Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon remain static at one apiece. It is somewhat surprising to see that neither Barkley or Olajuwon earned more than one MVP in this exercise.

2000s

2000- Kevin Garnett
2001- Tim Duncan
2002- Jason Kidd
2003- Kevin Garnett
2004- Tim Duncan
2005- Shaquille O’Neal
2006- LeBron James
2007- Steve Nash
2008- Chris Paul
2009- Kobe Bryant

Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan dominate the first half of the decade with two wins apiece. Shaquille O’Neal also adds a second hypothetical trophy to his cabinet. Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul earn some love for the point guard position, which hasn’t seen a winner in this scenario since West, Robertson, and Wilkens in the 60s and 70s. The legacies of Kidd and Paul would benefit greatly from these wins, while Nash would likely remain in the pantheon of great point guards despite going from two real-life wins to one, though perhaps his legacy wouldn’t be quite as sparkling. LeBron James still makes his MVP debut this decade and appears primed to come away with a strong haul in the following one.

2010s

2010- Kevin Durant
2011- Dwight Howard
2012- Kevin Durant
2013- Kevin Durant
2014- LeBron James
2015- James Harden
2016- Kawhi Leonard
2017- James Harden
2018- LeBron James
2019- James Harden
2020- LeBron James

Several tidbits jump out about this decade. First, it is surprising that Kobe Bryant doesn’t make an appearance. Instead, he retains a single hypothetical MVP award, as in real-life. Second, Kevin Durant’s trio of wins would give him a strong claim to being the player of the decade. Third, James Harden’s increased haul of trophies would likely shift his perception as being something more than just an all-time great scorer, much like George Gervin’s hypothetical wins in the 70s. Dwight Howard and Kawhi Leonard feel like worthy winners as each enjoyed incredible five-year runs in this window of time, with Howard’s coming at the start of the decade and Leonard’s coming at the end. Impressively, LeBron James still comes out of this scenario with four hypothetical wins. Unfortunately, Stephen Curry is not able to replace either of his awards.

So you can take that for data and we’ll be back in part two for some context and analysis. Take care!