A Decade of NBA MVP Voting
Superlatives, Records, Fun Facts, and Oddities from the last 10 years of MVP Voting
As a continuation of my exploration of this past decade of the NBA, I decided to take a look at the last 10 MVP voting breakdowns. Here’s what I found.
Highest PER for a non-MVP
1. Anthony Davis, 2014–15: 30.81
2. James Harden, 2018–19: 30.57
They were the only two players to have a single-season PER of over 30 this decade (besides AD’s most recent season which is debatable whether it should be counted or not) to not when the MVP award. They were also the only two players to finish in the top 10 for highest single-season PER for the decade to not win the trophy.
Harden’s situation is more understandable. Giannis had an even higher PER than he did, his team had a better record, Harden had just won the year before, and Giannis had the better narrative. They were also 1–2 in the vote.
What’s truly wild is that meanwhile, AD finished fifth (!) behind Steph (27.98), Harden (26.70), LeBron (25.95), and Russ (29.06). Granted, AD’s team was the eight seed that season, but still, fifth seems crazy based purely off this metric. But, that’s why these votes aren’t based solely off of any one metric.
Lowest PER for a MVP winner
1. Derrick Rose, 2010–11: 23.5
2. Steph Curry, 2014–15: 27.98
Rose won this one running away. He was the only winner this decade not to be in the top-100 in all-time single-season PER. He isn’t even in the top 250. But I completely understand why it happened. He had the narrative of all narratives: the prodigal son returns the hometown Bulls to their former glory.
Plus, LeBron was in year one of the Heatles, aka there was rampant dislike for him throughout the league. And he was a victim of voter fatigue, having won the previous two awards (not to mention he would go on to win the next two after this). What did you expect voters to do, vote for Dwight Howard? (Honestly, yes they probably should have done that).
Highest Win Shares for a non-MVP
1. Kevin Durant, 2012–13: 18.9
2a. Kevin Durant, 2009–10: 16.1
2b. Chris Paul, 2014–15: 16.1
KD, the king of second-place, for the early part of his career at least (more on that later). KD’s mark lapped the field, as it was actually the third-best number OVERALL, behind LeBron’s 12–13 season and KD’s lone MVP win in 2013–14. He just happened to do this in the same season LeBron put together arguably his greatest regular season masterpiece.
The CP3 figure is an interesting one, considering he finished sixth in the MVP vote that season, while posting a higher win share mark than four of the five guys ahead of him. Quite the deep MVP race that season.
Lowest Win Shares for a MVP winner
1a. Derrick Rose, 2010–11: 13.1
1b. Russell Westbrook, 2016–17: 13.1
Poor D-Rose.
Interestingly, Russ fared very well with PER, but less so with win shares. Take that as you will. Just further fuel for the online (and in-person) Westbrook discourse. I know it’s become en vogue to say he should’ve lost this MVP race, but as an avowed Russ believer I’m obviously okay with the win.
Most Top-Two Finishes:
LeBron James: Five
LeBron won three times and finished second twice. That’s half the decade he spent in the top two.
Most Top-Five Finishes:
LeBron James: 9
LeBron also has three third place finishes and a fourth. Hold on, we’re not finished.
Most Top-10 Finishes:
LeBron James: 9
Kevin Durant: 9
Here are LeBron’s MVP voting placements for the decade:
1, 3, 1,1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 2, 11
Here are KD’s MVP voting placements for the decade:
2, 5, 2, 2, 1, 5, 9, 7, 8
This is honestly a testament to KD’s consistency throughout the decade more than anything. His injury during the 2013–14 season is the only thing keeping him from going a perfect 10 for 10. Same with LeBron’s injury last season (in which he still earned enough votes for 11th place).
LeBron’s run is just absurd, though. He was the only player to receive a MVP vote every season this decade.
Most MVP shares:
1. LeBron James: 5.976
2. James Harden: 3.291
3. Kevin Durant: 3.209
4. Steph Curry: 2.207
LeBron with nearly six is bonkers. Mildly surprised to see Harden slightly above KD. Harden’s run of 8, 5, 2, 9, 2, 1, 2 produced more shares than KD’s nine-season run. Also, Steph finishing a full-point behind two players with one less MVP than him was mildly surprising, but injuries and Golden State’s regular season flip-switching lost him some chances there.
Highest Pair of Teammates:
2010–11: LeBron James (3) and Dwyane Wade (7)
2013–14: Blake Griffin (3) and Chris Paul (7)
2015–16: Russell Westbrook (4) and Kevin Durant (5)
2015–16: Steph Curry (1) and Draymond Green (7)
A sobering, heartbreaking (or heart-fulfilling, depending on the perspective) reminder that neither the Lob City Clippers or the KD-Russ Thunder won an NBA title. Arguably the two biggest What-If’s of the entire decade. KD and Russ were the only teammates to finish in the top five in the same season.
Top-Five Finishers Who Were Not Previous or Future MVPs:
It was hard to break into the club this decade if you weren’t a permanent member. Here’s the entire list:
2018–19: Paul George (3), Nikola Jokic (4)
2017–18: Anthony Davis (3), Damian Lillard (4)
2016–17: Kawhi Leonard (3), Isaiah Thomas (5)
2015–16: Kawhi Leonard (2)
2014–15: Anthony Davis (5)
2013–14: Blake Griffin (3), Joakim Noah (4)
2012–13: Carmelo Anthony (3), Chris Paul (4)
2011–12: Chris Paul (3), Tony Parker (5)
2010–11: Dwight Howard (2)
2009–10 — Dwight Howard (4), Dwyane Wade (5)
And that’s with the assumption that there’s a good chance the two appearances each from AD and Kawhi could disappear from this list in the near future (although the existence of load management calls that into question).
This is also a reminder of how good Carmelo was for that one glorious season in New York, how beautiful IT’s run in Boston was (and how truly dirty they did him), and of Joakim Noah reaching MVP-level heights. I think Chris Paul is probably the one player who most deserved to win an MVP this decade who didn’t.
Wildest Single Vote-Getters:
2009-10 Stephen Jackson
2012-13 Ty Lawson
Neither of these people ever made an All-NBA Team, an All-Star Team, or an All-Defensive Team, yet they somehow each received a single MVP vote during these two seasons. I am befuddled.
As always, a huge thanks and shoutout to Basketball Reference for all the info and figures in an article like this.
