MVP Winners by Team

[Who]

I saw a list of MVP winners with the number of award winners by each team. I thought it was interesting.

#1 Boston - 10 MVP winners

1st = Cousy - 1956-57
2nd-6th = B Russell - 57-58, 60-61, 61-62, 62-63, 64-65
7th = Dave Cowens - 1972-73
8th-10th = Larry Bird - 1983-84, 84-85, 85-86

4 winners share 10 prizes

#2 Los Angeles Lakers - 8 winners

1st-3rd = Kareem - 1975-76, 76-77, 79-80
4th-6th = Magic - 1986-87, 88-89, 89-90
7th = Shaq - 1999-00
8th = Kobe - 2007-08

4 winners share 8 prizes.

The difference is Kareem got only 3 with LAL while Russell got 5 for the Celtics. Magic and Bird got 3 each. Then each team had 2 guys who won the award once.

If you compare the two teams from when the Lakers moved to LA in the summer of 1960, both teams have won the award 8 times since then.

The award started in 1955-56 so before the Minneapolis Lakers when George Mikan likely would have won multiple awards if the award had of existed back then.

#3 Philadelphia 76ers - 7 winners

1st-3rd = Wilt Chamberlain - 1965-66, 66-67, 67-68
4th = Julius Eving - 1980-81
5th = Moses Malone - 1982-83
6th = Allen Iverson - 2000-01
7th = Joel Embiid - 2022-23

5 separate winners is a high. Only 1 of them won multiple MVPs though with the other 4 winning only once apiece.

Interesting, that Wilt won the MVP in all 3 of his full seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. Only season he didn't was in 1964-65 when he was traded midway through the season and spent only half a season there.

#4 Chicago Bulls - 6 winners

1st-5th = MJ - 1987-88, 90-91, 91-92, 95-96, 97-98
6th = Derrick Rose - 2010-11

#5 Milwaukee Bucks - 5 winners

1st-3rd = Kareem - 1970-71, 71-72, 73-74
4th-5th = Giannis - 2018-19, 19-20

The only team other than Boston and the LA Lakers to have 2 separate multiple MVP award winners.

#6 Houston Rockets - 4 winners

1st-2nd = Moses Malone - 1978-79, 81-82
3rd = Hakeem Olajuwon - 1993-94
4th = James Harden - 2017-18

Three Winners

3 way tie in 7th place

Denver Nuggets

1st-3rd = Jokic - 2020-21, 21-22, 23-24

Phoenix Suns

1st = Charles Barkley - 1992-93
2nd-3rd = Steve Nash - 2004-05, 05-06

San Antonio Spurs

1st = David Robinson - 1994-95
2nd-3rd = Tim Duncan - 2001-02, 02-03

Two MVP Winners

6 way tie in 9th place

Cleveland Cavaliers = LeBron - 2008-09, 09-10
Golden State Warriors = Steph Curry - 2014-15, 15-16
Miami Heat = LeBron - 2011-12, 12-13
OKC Thunder = Durant 2013-14, Westbrook 2016-17
St Louis Hawks = Bob Pettit - 1955-56, 58-59
Utah Jazz = Karl Malone - 1996-97, 98-99

5 teams with players who won 2 awards. Only one of them with 2 separate winners. LeBron is listed on two separate teams winning 2 with either team.

One MVP Winner

8 way tie in 15th place

Baltimore Bullets = Wes Unseld 1968-69
Buffalo Braves = Bob McAdoo 1974-75
Cincinnati Royals = Oscar Robertson 1963-64
Dallas Mavericks = Dirk Nowitzki 2006-07
Minnesota T'Wolves = Kevin Garnett 2003-04
New York Knicks = Willis Reed 1969-70
** Philadelphia Warriors = Wilt 1959-60
Portland Trail Blazers = Bill Walton 1977-78

** You could count the Philadelphia Warriors in 3 ways. (1) as a separate team (2) as part of the GS Warriors franchise taking them up to 3 MVP awards (3) as part of the city of Philadelphia and therefore adding to the Philly 76ers total of 7 taking them to 8th and tied with the LA Lakers in 2nd place.


A total of 21-22 teams have won MVP awards.



Anyway, the Celtics top the list!

[Redz]

I guess they needed to get Kobe an MVP but KG was the true MVP in 2007-2008.

[aefgogreen]

If the Celtics finish with the best record next year, I think JT gets his.

[johnnygreen]

I guess they needed to get Kobe an MVP but KG was the true MVP in 2007-2008.

There is no question in my mind that KG should have been the MVP that season. His impact was beyond numbers, he revived a championship mentality/culture that the team somehow lost. That MVP for Kobe felt like a lifetime achievement award.

[tenn_smoothie]

I guess they needed to get Kobe an MVP but KG was the true MVP in 2007-2008.

Absolutely he was.