INTRODUCTION
In NBA, the MVP (Most Valuable Player) is considered to be the best player of the season. The award was first given for the 1955-1956 season.
Charts
1. NBA MVP Awards by Position (%)
2. NBA MVP Awards by Position by Decade
3. Race by Period of Birth of NBA MVPs
4. Region of Birth by Period of Birth of NBA MVPs
5. Tallest and Shortest NBA MVPs
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Data Table
6. NBA MVPs by Position, Place of Birth, Height and Racial Group
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The regional distribution of origin, the most common state of birth and the distribution by race of the best players shows how widespread and seriously the sport is played in a particular place and community since a greater talent pool tends to produce more great players in any sport. The distribution of the award by position shows the importance of each position to a team and varies over time depending on how strategies have evolved. Unlike American football, there is no one position in basketball which is considered of far greater importance than any other position.
Looking at NBA MVPs by position shows that the center position has taken up the largest percentage of NBA MVPs with 38.8% of the total. This is largely due to multiple MVPs won by 3 NBA greats – Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
However things changed. With the addition of the 3 point arc in the 1979-80 season, NBA basketball became more perimeter oriented and the importance of the center position diminished and shooting guards like Michael Jordan, point guards like Lebron James and Magic Johnson and small forwards like Larry Bird and Stephen Curry rose to prominence. However, the past 2 MVPs have been given to Serbian center Nikola Jokić so this could be an indicator of a return to prominence of this once dominant position.
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Wilt Chamberlain, who played in the center position, was awarded the MVP 4 times in 1960, 1966, 1967 and 1968.
Although 3 of the first 4 MVPs were white, the NBA has been dominated by black players from the 1960s onwards. In total, there have been 8 different white NBA MVPs with a total of 13 MVP wins including 3 times winner Larry Bird. From the 1986/1987 season to the 2003/2004 season, all MVPs were black. Black players make up the majority of players in the NBA reflecting the fact that basketball is more popular in black communities.
Larry Bird was awarded the MVP 3 times in 1984, 1985 and 1986. He is one of seven white players to have been given the award.
The South has the largest number of MVPs. Given the dominance of NBA by black players, it's not surprising that the region with by far the largest black population has the most MVPs. The Northeast was once the 2nd best region for producing NBA talent. 3 of the NBA's most successful players, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, are from this region and have a combined 15 MVPs. More NBA MVPs have been born outside the USA than in the western USA. There have been 5 different NBA MVPs born outside the US - Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria in 1994, Steven Nash of South Africa in 2005 & 2006 and Dirk Nowitzki of Germany in 2007, Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019 and 2020 and Nikola Jokić of Serbia in 2021 and 2022.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.) from New York City won the MVP a record 6 times (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1980).
6. NBA MVPs by Position, Place of Birth, Height and Racial Group
Season | Player | Position | Team | City/town of birth | State of birth | Racial/Ethnic Group | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1955/56 | Bob Pettit | Power forward | St. Louis Hawks | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | White/European | 6'9 |
1956/57 | Bob Cousy | Point guard | Boston Celtics | Manhattan | New York | White/European | 6'1 |
1957/58 | Bill Russell | Center | Boston Celtics (2) | Monroe | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'10 |
1958/59 | Bob Pettit (2) | Power forward | St. Louis Hawks (2) | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | White/European | 6'9 |
1959/60 | Wilt Chamberlain | Center | Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Black/African | 7'1 |
1960/61 | Bill Russell (2) | Center | Boston Celtics (3) | Monroe | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'10 |
1961/62 | Bill Russell (3) | Center | Boston Celtics (4) | Monroe | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'10 |
1962/63 | Bill Russell (4) | Center | Boston Celtics (5) | Monroe | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'10 |
1963/64 | Oscar Robertson | Point guard | Cincinnati Royals | Charlotte | Tennessee | Black/African | 6'5 |
1964/65 | Bill Russell (5) | Center | Boston Celtics (6) | Monroe | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'10 |
1965/66 | Wilt Chamberlain (2) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Black/African | 7'1 |
1966/67 | Wilt Chamberlain (3) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers (2) | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Black/African | 7'1 |
1967/68 | Wilt Chamberlain (4) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers (3) | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Black/African | 7'1 |
1968/69 | Wes Unseld | Center/Forward | Baltimore Bullets | Louisville | Kentucky | Black/African | 6'7 |
1969/70 | Willis Reed | Center | New York Knicks | Bernice | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'9 |
1970/71 | AaaLew Alcindor | Center | Milwaukee Bucks | New York City | New York | Black/African | 7'2 |
1971/72 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2) | Center | Milwaukee Bucks (2) | New York City | New York | Black/African | 7'2 |
1972/73 | Dave Cowens | Center | Boston Celtics (7) | Newport | Kentucky | White/European | 6'9 |
1973/74 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3) | Center | Milwaukee Bucks (3) | New York City | New York | Black/African | 7'2 |
1974/75 | Bob McAdoo | Power forward | Buffalo Braves | Greensboro | North Carolina | Black/African | 6'9 |
1975/76 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4) | Center | Los Angeles Lakers | New York City | New York | Black/African | 7'2 |
1976/77 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5) | Center | Los Angeles Lakers (2) | New York City | New York | Black/African | 7'2 |
1977/78 | Bill Walton | Center | Portland Trail Blazers | La Mesa | California | White/European | 6'11 |
1978/79 | Moses Malone | Center | Houston Rockets | Petersburg | Virginia | Black/African | 6'10 |
1979/80 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6) | Center | Los Angeles Lakers (3) | New York City | New York | Black/African | 7'2 |
1980/81 | Julius Erving | Small forward | Philadelphia 76ers (4) | East Meadow | New York | Black/African | 6'7 |
1981/82 | Moses Malone (2) | Center | Houston Rockets (2) | Petersburg | Virginia | Black/African | 6'10 |
1982/83 | Moses Malone (3) | Center | Philadelphia 76ers (5) | Petersburg | Virginia | Black/African | 6'10 |
1983/84 | Larry Bird | Small forward | Boston Celtics (8) | West Baden Springs | Indiana | White/European | 6'9 |
1984/85 | Larry Bird (2) | Small forward | Boston Celtics (9) | West Baden Springs | Indiana | White/European | 6'9 |
1985/86 | Larry Bird (3) | Small forward | Boston Celtics (10) | West Baden Springs | Indiana | White/European | 6'9 |
1986/87 | Magic Johnson | Point guard | Los Angeles Lakers (4) | Lansing | Michigan | Black/African | 6'9 |
1987/88 | Michael Jordan | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls | Brooklyn | New York | Black/African | 6'6 |
1988/89 | Magic Johnson (2) | Point guard | Los Angeles Lakers (5) | Lansing | Michigan | Black/African | 6'9 |
1989/90 | Magic Johnson (3) | Point guard | Los Angeles Lakers (6) | Lansing | Michigan | Black/African | 6'9 |
1990/91 | Michael Jordan (2) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls (2) | Brooklyn | New York | Black/African | 6'6 |
1991/92 | Michael Jordan (3) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls (3) | Brooklyn | New York | Black/African | 6'6 |
1992/93 | Charles Barkley | Power forward | Phoenix Suns | Leeds | Alabama | Black/African | 6'6 |
1993/94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Center | Houston Rockets (3) | Lagos | Nigeria | Black/African | 7'0 |
1994/95 | David Robinson | Center | San Antonio Spurs | Key West | Florida | Black/African | 7'1 |
1995/96 | Michael Jordan (4) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls (4) | Brooklyn | New York | Black/African | 6'6 |
1996/97 | Karl Malone | Power forward | Utah Jazz | Summerfield | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'9 |
1997/98 | Michael Jordan (5) | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls (5) | Brooklyn | New York | Black/African | 6'6 |
1998/99 | Karl Malone (2) | Power forward | Utah Jazz (2) | Summerfield | Louisiana | Black/African | 6'9 |
1999/00 | Shaquille O'Neal | Center | Los Angeles Lakers (7) | Newark | New Jersey | Black/African | 7'1 |
2000/01 | Allen Iverson | Shooting guard | Philadelphia 76ers (6) | Hampton | Virginia | Black/African | 6'0 |
2001/02 | Tim Duncan | Power forward | San Antonio Spurs (2) | Saint Croix | US Virgin Islands | Black/African | 6'11 |
2002/03 | Tim Duncan (2) | Power forward | San Antonio Spurs (3) | Saint Croix | US Virgin Islands | Black/African | 6'11 |
2003/04 | Kevin Garnett | Power forward | Minnesota Timberwolves | Greenville | South Carolina | Black/African | 6'11 |
2004/05 | Steve Nash | Point guard | Phoenix Suns (2) | Johannesburg | South Africa | White/European | 6'3 |
2005/06 | Steve Nash (2) | Point guard | Phoenix Suns (3) | Johannesburg | South Africa | White/European | 6'3 |
2006/07 | Dirk Nowitzki | Power forward | Dallas Mavericks | Wurzburg/West Germany | Outside US | White/European | 7'0 |
2007/08 | Kobe Bryant | Shooting guard | Los Angeles Lakers (8) | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Black/African | 6'6 |
2008/09 | LeBron James | Small forward | Cleveland Cavaliers | Akron | Ohio | Black/African | 6'8 |
2009/10 | LeBron James (2) | Small forward | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) | Akron | Ohio | Black/African | 6'8 |
2010/11 | Derrick Rose | Point guard | Chicago Bulls (6) | Chicago | Illinois | Black/African | 6'3 |
2011/12 | LeBron James (3) | Small forward | Miami Heat | Akron | Ohio | Black/African | 6'8 |
2012/13 | LeBron James (4) | Small forward | Miami Heat (2) | Akron | Ohio | Black/African | 6'8 |
2013/14 | Kevin Durant | Small forward | Oklahoma City Thunder | Washington | DC | Black/African | 6'9 |
2014/15 | Stephen Curry | Point guard | Golden State Warriors (2) | Akron | Ohio | Mixed | 6'3 |
2015/16 | Stephen Curry (2) | Point guard | Golden State Warriors (3) | Akron | Ohio | Mixed | 6'3 |
2016/17 | Russell Westbrook | Point guard | Oklahoma City Thunder (2) | Long Beach | California | Black/African | 6'3 |
2017/18 | James Harden | Shooting guard | Houston Rockets (4) | Los Angeles | California | Black/African | 6'5 |
2018/19 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Power Forward | Milwaukee Bucks (4) | Athens | Greece | Black/African | 6'11 |
2019/20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Power Forward | Milwaukee Bucks (5) | Athens | Greece | Black/African | 6'11 |
2020/21 | Nikola Jokić | Center | Denver Nuggets | Sombor | Serbia | White/European | 6'11 |
2021/22 | Nikola Jokić | Center | Denver Nuggets (2) | Sombor | Serbia | White/European | 6'11 |
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Most_Valuable_Player_Award
https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/mvp.html
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Charts created using OpenOffice Calc.