A History of Top-Three MVP Finishes

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

Welcome back! This is part two in our review of MVP voting finishes. In this article, we’ll review the players who earned top three MVP finishes during their career. If you missed part one, check it out here to gain some additional context on this series and to review the rankings of players who achieved top-two finishes!

With a few exceptions, I’ll try to focus on players who didn’t get attention in the previous entry. There’s a lot, so let’s get started!

Hypothetical — What if the MVP award recognized the three best players in the league each year instead of the single best?

Notes — MVP-winning seasons are listed in bold, players making their first appearance are italicized, and the number of added appearances since the previous article follows the listed years.

Eleven Top-Three Finishes

• LeBron James (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020) +3

Ten Top-Three Finishes

• Michael Jordan (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) +2

The historical and cultural duel of legacies between Jordan and LeBron is fascinating. The expansion from top-two finishes to top-three finishes brings LeBron sole occupancy of top spot. Interestingly, Jordan has just about capped out his possibilities for additional high MVP finishes. His only seasons not represented above are his rookie year, his two Wizards years, his half-retired comeback year, and his injury-shortened sophomore campaign. Conversely, LeBron still has plenty of other seasons for further high MVP finishes as we expand this exercise in our next article. Then there’s the fact that LeBron is still chugging along as one of the league’s best players, so there’s still opportunity for additional top-three finishes for him. As such, LeBron’s lead could be extended, perhaps significantly. Therefore, even if we were to assume that Jordan would have likely finished in the top three in the 1994 and 1995 seasons if he didn’t retire, he would still likely have ended up tied or trailing LeBron in top-three MVP finishes by the time LeBron’s career is finished.

Nine Top-Three Finishes

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981) +2
• Magic Johnson (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991) +4
• Bill Russell (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967) +2

Magic Johnson is the only player in NBA history with four third-place finishes. Those four finishes vault him up to nine total top-three finishes, leapfrogging both Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain in the process. Magic got some shine in the previous article so we won’t deep dive on him again here, but his record of third-place finishes is just another feather in the cap for his esteemed career.

Eight Top-Three Finishes

• Larry Bird (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988) +1

Seven Top-Three Finishes

• Wilt Chamberlain (1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1972) +1

I know we discussed Wilt in the previous article of this series, but I think his third-place finish in the 1971–72 season deserves some recognition. His 1967 title run with the 76ers is rightly recognized as the pinnacle of his career, a season in which he finally found the right balance of team and individual success. Wilt’s performance in 1972 is pretty darn close though. He had a modest (by his standards) 15/19/4 stat line and led the league in rebounding. He was First Team All-Defense, second in win shares, first in true shooting percentage (though his free throw rate belies his infamous avoidance of the charity stripe), and his Lakers squad won the title. More impressively, he achieved this in the wake of his devastating 1969 knee injury, an affliction that likely would’ve been career-ending for any mortal 33-year-old of that era, further proving Wilt’s superhuman athleticism. On top of all of that, Jerry West was the clear team star, even finishing ahead of Wilt in MVP voting, meaning Wilt both accepted and thrived in the role of co-star. Considering the nitpicking that peppered Wilt’s early career, his 1972 season deserves some more attention as a viable counterpoint to any stat-hogging claims lobbed at Big Dipper.

Six Top-Three Finishes

• None

Five Top-Three Finishes

• Kobe Bryant (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) +3
• Tim Duncan (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) +1
• James Harden (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) +1
• Karl Malone (1989, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999) +2
• Shaquille O’Neal (1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005) +2
• Bob Pettit (1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961) +1
• Oscar Robertson (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966) +3
• David Robinson (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996) +3
• Jerry West (1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972) +1

Oscar Robertson’s five consecutive top-three finishes in the mid-60s are astounding considering that Bill Russell was practically a guarantee to take a top-three spot each of those years. The remaining couple spots each year would’ve been up for grabs between basketball icons Oscar, Chamberlain, West, and Baylor. Throw in the uphill battle Robertson faced as a guard in a big man’s league and the undercurrent of overt and latent racism both inside and outside the game of basketball he had to face at the time, and it speaks volumes of the respect Robertson’s game demanded to achieve these high MVP finishes. Additionally, apart from a mediocre 1963 season, Robertson’s Royals were regularly among the league’s best teams. His impact was widespread. If you need any more convincing, his base stat line in these five seasons was 30.4/9.9/10.9, wow!

One other item that has always fascinated me — Karl Malone’s career trajectory. The Mailman was 25 years old when he finished in the top three in 1989, but it would be another six years when he was age 31 in 1995 before he achieved another top-three finish. He then won the award as a 33- and 35-year-old in 1997 and 1999, respectively. These remain the oldest and third-oldest MVP wins in history, with Michael Jordan’s 1998 win as a 34-year-old sandwiched between Malone’s wins chronologically in both regards. It is incredibly unusual for a player to enjoy more success and/or award recognition in the second half of their career than the first half and I doubt we’ll see a player replicate Malone’s strange career trajectory for quite some time.

Four Top-Three Finishes

• Elgin Baylor (1959, 1961, 1963, 1968) +3
• Kevin Durant (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) -
• Kevin Garnett (2000, 2003, 2004, 2008) +1
• Moses Malone (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985) +1

Elgin Baylor’s arrival in the NBA was revolutionary. His impact on the offensive side of the ball was likely as monumental as Bill Russell’s impact on the defensive side. Baylor faced the same dilemmas as Oscar Robertson that we detailed in the last section: Stiff MVP competition, an NBA pre-conditioned to view big men as inherently more valuable than wings and guards, and racism.¹ Throw in the fact that Baylor balanced basketball with military duty early 1961 and 1962 and overcame a serious knee injury in 1965 and it’s a wonder that Baylor was able to earn this many top-three finishes.

I posited in the previous article that Jerry West may be the most unfortunate player in NBA history. Elgin Baylor likely has the best case to compete for that spot. West holds the overall record for most NBA Finals losses, but Baylor holds the record for most Finals losses without a win. Baylor lost the Finals seven times, every single time to Russell and the Celtics. Because he doesn’t have the MVPs and championships like Oscar, Wilt, and Russell, Baylor is not nearly as lauded in the discussion of the game’s greats. This is truly unfortunate. Baylor is a legend through and through and hopefully his spot in this section alongside modern greats like Durant and Garnett illustrates to younger fans just how exciting, impactful, and important he was.

Three Top-Three Finishes

• Dave Cowens (1973, 1975, 1976) +1
• Julius Erving (1980, 1981, 1982) +1
• George Gervin (1978, 1979, 1980) +1
• Bob McAdoo (1974, 1975, 1976) -
• Steve Nash (2005, 2006, 2007) -
• Dirk Nowitzki (2005, 2006, 2007) +2

I plan to do a deep dive on ABA MVP voting at some point, but Julius Erving’s ABA career demands some attention right away, particularly since he wasn’t covered in the previous article. Dr. J had three MVP wins and one runner-up finish during his time in the ABA. It’s impossible to understate his dominance or his cultural importance as the high-flying talisman in the NBA’s pesky little brother of a league. His status as the undeniable ABA GOAT is strong evidence that his MVP finishes in the league should receive the same historical weight as those of his NBA counterparts. Therefore, though they aren’t reflected in this article, it’s imperative to note that Dr. J’s four ABA top-three finishes would catapult him up to seven total alongside Wilt Chamberlain. Furthermore, since these were all top-two finishes, he would also have been comparable to Wilt Chamberlain in our previous article at six top-two finishes. Erving’s cultural impact understandably takes the spotlight whenever any ABA discussion takes place, but his MVP success is a reminder that his on-court output was every bit as impressive and important to the rival league.

Two Top-Three Finishes

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020) -
• Paul Arizin (1956, 1957) +1
• Charles Barkley (1990, 1993) -
• Bob Cousy (1956, 1957) +1
• Stephen Curry (2015, 2016) -
• Elvin Hayes (1975, 1978) +2
• Kawhi Leonard (2016, 2017) +1
• Alonzo Mourning (1999, 2000) +1
• Hakeem Olajuwon (1993, 1994) -
• Chris Paul (2008, 2012) +1
• Willis Reed (1969, 1970) -
• Bill Walton (1977, 1978) –

Elvin Hayes is the first new face in this article and he is the only player with multiple third-place finishes to never make the top two. His career is a fascinating contrast in individual and team success. He was a college phenom, highly touted rookie, and an immediate professional success who managed to live up to the hype with a league-leading 28.4 scoring average as a rookie. His San Diego Rockets achieved only 37 wins his rookie year, but this was only the team’s second year of existence and this win total was 22 better than the previous year’s 15. Despite this, Hayes wasn’t anywhere on the MVP radar. In fact, fellow rookie Wes Unseld took home the award that year after leading the Baltimore Bullets to a 21-win improvement and a 57–25 record.

In his sophomore campaign, Hayes led the league in rebounding with a 16.9 average. However, his team dipped to 27 wins and he was again nowhere near the MVP award. He continued to languish with bad to mediocre teams through 1972² and continued to be mostly ignored in the MVP race. But after joining Unseld on the Baltimore Bullets for the 1972–73 season, Hayes posted career lows in scoring and rebounding… but won 52 games and made the top ten in MVP voting for the first time ever. Then, in 1975 he accomplished his first top-three MVP finish despite a personal low in rebounding. His next top-three finish in 1978 came with a personal low in scoring average.

So why, counterintuitively, did Hayes become more revered in the league as his personal totals steadily decreased? The simple answer points to the win column, but there’s more to it, particularly when considering his 1978 finish in the top three came with a mediocre 44 wins. Hayes never played fewer than 80 games in a season and he led the league in minutes twice. The combination of heavy minutes coupled with Hayes’ role as franchise savior on a still-growing expansion team led to big numbers early in his career. So even though the transition to an improved supporting cast on a solid Bullets team meant fewer shot attempts, rebound opportunities,³ and minutes, his base stats remained solid despite the dip. Furthermore, although he is historically remembered as the offensive punch next to Unseld’s defensive stout, Hayes’ advanced numbers belie a vastly underrated defensive player. He did make a couple All-Defense Second Teams after joining the Bullets and that may indicate that the decreased load on offense allowed him to contribute more on defense, which likely helped his MVP case. Overall, Hayes’ role as an all-around contributor to a great Bullets team was clearly regarded by MVP voters of the time as more valuable than his eye-popping individual contributions keeping a floundering Rockets team afloat, resulting in the interesting case of Hayes’ top-three MVP finishes.

One Top-Three Finish

Carmelo Anthony (2013), Tiny Archibald (1973), Dave Bing (1971), Billy Cunningham (1969), Anthony Davis (2018), Clyde Drexler (1992), Paul George (2019), Blake Griffin (2014), Penny Hardaway (1996), Grant Hill (1997), Dwight Howard (2011), Allen Iverson (2001), Jason Kidd (2002), Bernard King (1984), Bob Lanier (1974), Pete Maravich (1977), Jermaine O’Neal (2004), Gary Payton (1998), Scottie Pippen (1994), Derrick Rose (2011), Dolph Schayes (1958), David Thompson (1978), Nate Thurmond (1967), Wes Unseld (1969), Dwyane Wade (2009), Russell Westbrook (2017), Lenny Wilkens (1968), Dominique Wilkins (1986), George Yardley (1958)

There are seventeen new faces in this section and it’s a fun group! Modern stars like Melo, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Blake Griffin, and Dwyane Wade join the discussion, but let’s focus on some older entries.

• The 1973 season marks Tiny Archibald’s famed accomplishment of leading the league in both scoring and assists. Surprisingly, even though he also led the league in minutes, he still holds the lead in both scoring and assists on a Per 36 basis (which makes me curious what the Per Possession numbers would look like if they were available). However, Tiny’s Royals garnered a mere 36 wins, resulting in a duo with more team success, Dave Cowens and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who were statistically impressive in their own rights), finishing ahead of him in the MVP race.
• 1971 brought us vintage Dave Bing, as his scoring and advanced numbers peaked across the board. Unfortunately, the following season brought a scary eye injury and Bing never quite reached the same heights (though the rest of his career was still littered with accolades and his passing stats actually improved post-injury).
• After enjoying great success as a supporting player, Billy Cunningham exploded into a star role in 1969 with the departure of Wilt Chamberlain from the 76ers. It says a lot that Cunningham (with a lot of help from Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson) was able to keep the 76ers in contention with 55 wins after Wilt left town.
• Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill bring similar narratives, as both reached superstar status in the mid-90s. Both were incredible generational talents, but both were heartachingly robbed of further top-three finishes due to injuries. Similar to Bing, they each still managed to carve out long, respectable careers.
• Bob Lanier is one of my favorite players ever. He was unquestionably one of the greatest players of his era, but he now occupies the role of overlooked superstar. This is largely because the likes of Kareem, McAdoo, Cowens, and Walton blocked him from MVP awards and All-NBA appearances. But the MVP votes accurately tell the story that Lanier was still regarded as one of the league’s best players of the time.
• Jermaine O’Neal may be one of the most surprising inclusions in this list, but nobody should overlook his monster 2004 season. His stats don’t jump off the page, but that Pacers team was damn fun to watch (and the best regular season team with 61 wins) and O’Neal was their go-to guy, which says a lot considering an aging (but still deadly) Reggie Miller was still present.
• David Thompson was just 23 when he finished third in the 1978 MVP race. He was an absolute star and, while his stat line 27/5/4 and advanced numbers were top notch, his recognition in 1978 was also strongly helped by the fact that he not only kept the Nuggets afloat after their transition to the NBA in 1976, but he helped them to hover around the top of the win column and make them one of the league’s most exciting teams in the process.
• George Yardley likely has the best claim for least well-known player on this list, but the dude had a monster season in 1958. He led the league in scoring at a 27.8 clip and chipped in over 10 rebounds per game. However, his Pistons only managed 33 wins, thus keeping him away from any serious debate for top spot in that year’s MVP race. Regardless, Yardley is an underrated scorer from the annals of NBA history.

That’ll do it for our retrospective on top-three MVP finishes! Our next article will expand the conversation to reflect on top-five MVP finishes. There’s a lot of shuffling in the rankings, a lot of new additions, and several surprising players who never finished in the top five and are left out as a result. See you then and take care!

¹ It feels foolish and inadequate to mention racism as an obstacle on the same level as other on-court problems when it perforated the everyday lives of Baylor, Robertson, and every Black player of the era. The skill and poise that Baylor and his contemporaries must have possessed in order to play, let alone thrive, in the NBA will likely never be fully appreciated.

² Fun sidenote — The 71–72 Rockets team was coached by famed triangle offense evangelist and Phil Jackson assistant, Tex Winter — His only full season as a head coach in the league.

³ Despite playing next to rebound machine Wes Unseld during his time with the Bullets, he did still manage to lead the league in rebounds in the 1974 season.