1) ’14-’15: Stephen Curry over James Harden
2) ’16-’17: Russell Westbrook over James Harden
3) ’18-’19: Giannis Antetokounmpo over James Harden

In addition to earning it once in 2018, Harden has a solid case for three other MVP trophies. You can just ask the man himself, as he personally bemoaned second place finishes in ’14-’15, ’16-’17, and ’18-’19. Say what you will about the guy but he kind of has a point in each case. Curry was obviously the biggest star of the ’14-’15 season but Harden’s stats (27.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game; 16.4 win shares) were superior (Curry: 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game; 15.6 win shares). A pure stats case couldn’t be made in ’16-’17, when Westbrook became just the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double. But Harden rightly pointed out that his Rockets finished with 55 wins compared to just 47 for Westbrook’s Thunder. Sure enough, Harden subsequently led Houston to an easy first round win over Oklahoma City. In ’18-’19 we were back to the stats argument as Harden averaged 36.1 points per game, the highest average since Michael Jordan in ’86-’87. But Antetokounmpo was an unstoppable force in ’18-’19 and led the Bucks to the top seed in the East.

4) ’74-’75: Bob McAdoo over Rick Barry

A case can be made for ’74-’75 as the nadir of NBA talent. Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, and Oscar Robertson were all recently retired, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dave Cowens were dealing with injuries. In retrospect, the unquestionable best player in the league that year was Barry. He finished second in the NBA in scoring with 30.6 points per game, was the leader in steals and free throw percentage, added 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, and almost single-handedly carried the Warriors to a title. But owing possibly to his unpopularity with the media, Barry somehow finished fourth in MVP voting. Not only was he behind McAdoo but also Elvin Hayes and the aforementioned Cowens, who missed 17 games. McAdoo won his second consecutive scoring title in ’74-’75, which was just his third season in the NBA, and led the Braves to 49 wins, which would stand as the franchise record for almost 70 years. That was enough for voters to hand it to McAdoo but Barry got the more prestigious honor that year, as Finals MVP.

5) ’56-’57: Bob Cousy over Bob Pettit

The original MVP controversy. Cousy was certainly a great player and was still in his prime in ’56-’57. His 7.5 assists per game that season led the league (his fifth consecutive season doing so), and he added a solid 20.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while leading the Celtics to their first title in franchise history. But those stats were actually quite a drop-off for Cousy, who had averaged 8.9 assists per game just one year prior, 21+ points per game in two previous seasons, and the rebounding numbers were actually a career low. He nonetheless just edged out the reigning MVP, Pettit, with 23 votes to 21, despite Pettit having better overall stats and being the obvious focal point of a Hawks team that reached the NBA Finals. For the record, Cousy’s teammate Bill Russell finished in seventh in voting but played in only 48 games in the season, having missed a big chunk of games in order to participate in the Olympics. Russell was rightfully the first Black MVP in ’57-’58 and went on to win five total MVP trophies, while Pettit added a second in ’58-’59.

6) ’01-’02: Tim Duncan over Jason Kidd

This was one of the closest MVP races in modern history and with good reason. This seemed like a culmination for Duncan, who had finished in the top five in voting in his first five seasons before finally winning the trophy; a coronation of a player who had long been a media darling as the league’s best. Things were much different in ’01-’02 for Kidd, with his reputation as a malcontent who had forced his way out of Dallas and Phoenix, and in the preceding offseason had struck a plea deal for a charge of domestic abuse. Kidd’s stats that year couldn’t touch Duncan’s output but his undeniable argument was value to his team. The Nets finished with just 26 wins in ’00-’01, then doubled that total in ’01-’02 with Kidd in tow, and reached the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. As for Duncan, this certainly wasn’t his strongest supporting cast, but it was still a disappointing end for the Spurs in 2002, bowing out meekly in the second round of the playoffs against the Lakers. Duncan repeated as MVP in ’02-’03 while Kidd never finished higher than eighth in voting for the rest of his career.

7) ’68-’69: Wes Unseld over Willis Reed and Billy Cunningham

In one of the most wide open MVP races in NBA history, Unseld became just the second player to earn Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season. The first to do so, Wilt Chamberlain, came into the ’68-’69 season as the odds-on favorite to earn a fourth straight MVP trophy. But after joining the Lakers in the 1968 offseason, his normally prolific stats took a major dip and for the first time in his entire career, Chamberlain didn’t receive a single MVP vote. Unseld secured the award with 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game while leading a 21-win turnaround for the Bullets. But he was arguably not even the most valuable player on his own team, nor the most valuable rookie. Baltimore’s Earl Monroe finished second in the NBA in scoring with 25.8 points per game, only behind rookie sensation Elvin Hayes. Neither of them received a single vote either. Instead, second place was Reed, who would win the award a year later, and third was Cunningham, who had a career best season with the 76ers in the wake of Chamberlain’s departure.

8) ’96-’97: Karl Malone over Michael Jordan
9) ’98-’99: Karl Malone over Tim Duncan and Alonzo Mourning

While the Mailman has had two MVPs delivered to his home, neither came without shipping complications. In fact, both were controversial even at the time. In ’96-’97, voters were accused of giving Malone a virtual lifetime achievement award, or perhaps they were just suffering from Jordan fatigue. Granted, Malone did have better overall stats than Jordan during the season but no one paying attention could legitimately argue that Malone was the more valuable player. Jordan emphatically proved that in the playoffs, defeating Malone’s Jazz in the NBA Finals. There was no Jordan to cause controversy in ’98-’99 but Malone’s win was still one the closest voting results in MVP history. His two leading challengers this time were Mourning, who had to settle for Defensive Player of the Year, and Duncan, who would soon lead the Spurs to a championship in just his second year in the league. In the end, the elder statesman Malone got his second trophy, a fittingly unsatisfying end to arguably the worst regular season in NBA history, shortened and stunted by the lockout.

10) ’77-’78: Bill Walton over George Gervin and David Thompson

No player has ever won MVP with a slighter body of work than Walton, who missed the last 24 games of the ’77-’78 season with a broken foot. His performance was otherwise incredible, averaging 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game while leading the Blazers to a dominant position atop the standings. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had comparable numbers to Walton that season but also missed a big chunk of games after breaking his hand punching Kent Benson and finished fourth in voting. The second and third place finishers in ’77-’78 were two former ABA stars who spent the season in a dramatic battle for the scoring title. Gervin ultimately clinched it with a 63-point performance in his final game and finished a close second in MVP voting despite otherwise pedestrian stats. Thompson finished a distant third in voting despite putting up similar numbers to Gervin. After claiming his trophy, Walton came back for Portland in the postseason but lasted only two games before suffering another devastating foot injury.

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By the numbers: Closest NBA league MVP voting results, as represented by vote share

Season	Voting share differential
1976: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar over Bob McAdoo	.017
1990: Magic Johnson over Charles Barkley	.024
1997: Karl Malone over Michael Jordan	.025
2005: Steve Nash over Shaquille O’Neal	.026
1999: Karl Malone over Alonzo Mourning	.036
2002: Tim Duncan over Jason Kidd	.045
1981: Julius Erving over Larry Bird	.045
1970: Willis Reed over Jerry West	.053

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11) ’89-’90: Magic Johnson over Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan

He’s universally perceived now as the greatest player in NBA history, but even into the early ’90s, Jordan was struggling to gain respect compared his forebears, Johnson and Larry Bird. Though Jordan won the MVP trophy in ’87-’88, he also finished second behind Johnson in ’86-’87 and ’88-’89 despite posting more impressive stats, playing superior defense, and being a larger focal point of his team. ’89-’90 seemed like an obvious breakthrough for Jordan as the consensus greatest player in the world but when the dust settled on MVP voting, he somehow had finished third. Johnson took home his third and most controversial MVP trophy and to be fair he did step up his game that year offensively in the wake of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s retirement. A close second in voting was Barkley, who almost single-handedly carried the 76ers to the #3 seed in the East. Though ’89-’90 was a disappointment for Jordan and Barkley, they would go on to win the next three MVPs.

12) ’61-’62: Bill Russell over Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson
13) ’62-’63: Bill Russell over Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor

It took a couple years for the media to recognize Russell as the game’s best player but once that perception took hold, it carried him through to five MVP trophies, two of which were questionable. In ’61-’62, Russell put up incredible numbers in a vacuum, with 18.9 points, 23.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, while remaining the most dominant defensive player in the league. But did he deserve MVP over Chamberlain, who averaged an NBA record 50.4 points per game and won the rebounding title, and Robertson, who became the first player in history to average a triple-double for the season? ’62-’63 saw a slightly less compelling case for Russell’s two biggest challengers but it’s probably the best example of where Baylor deserved an MVP award. The Lakers star finished in the top five in voting seven times but never won. His best chance was ’62-’63, when he was second in the NBA in scoring, fifth in rebounds, and played a full 80 game schedule for the only time in his career. But he missed out in a close voting behind Russell, as did Robertson, who would finally earn it in ’63-’64.

14) ’10-’11: Derrick Rose over LeBron James and Dwight Howard

Fair or not, there was a definite perception in ’10-’11 that James’ claim as the league’s most valuable player took a hit by virtue of joining the Heat. The numbers bear it out somewhat, with a slight dip in James’ scoring, assists, win shares, and PER. It didn’t help that the Heat entered the season as heavy title favorites but struggled at times, ultimately settling for the East’s #2 seed. The top seed that year was the Bulls, who were led by one-man wrecking crew Rose. With a fearless style that turned around a moribund Chicago franchise, Rose dominated the MVP voting in ’10-’11, finishing with 113 first place votes out of a possible 121. But his numbers really aren’t any better than James that season. In fact, despite teaming up with another offensive powerhouse in Wade, James still outpaced Rose in both VORP and win shares. This third place finish broke up what could have been five consecutive MVPs for James, which would have been unprecedented. Another player whose stats and defensive prowess look better than Rose’s on paper was Howard, who settled for second in MVP voting.

15) ’72-’73: Dave Cowens over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

This is arguably the biggest robbery on this list and it probably comes down to MVP voters being tired of handing the award to Abdul-Jabbar. This is no knock on Cowens, who had a career year in ’72-’73. But a retrospective review proves that Abdul-Jabbar failed to take home a third consecutive MVP despite posting far superior stats over Cowens. The closer you look at it, the more egregious it is. Abdul-Jabbar put up 30.2 points per game compared to Cowens’ 20.5, matched him in rebounding (16.1 per game to 16.2), slightly edged him in assists (5.0 per game to 4.1), and absolutely dominated him in win shares (not that voters were considering that at the time). Even the argument that Cowens’ Celtics had a better record than Abdul-Jabbar’s Bucks doesn’t hold much water when you consider that Cowens had the far better supporting cast. Perhaps the voters just didn’t want the outspoken and defiantly Muslim Abdul-Jabbar matching legendary centers Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain with three consecutive MVPs.

16) ’80-’81: Julius Erving over Larry Bird

This was an especially tight race and for good reason. Erving and Bird were the clear-cut two best players in the league in ’80-’81, and their respective teams battled for the top seed in the East all season. It actually came down to the last game of the year in the standings and Bird clinched it for the Celtics with 24 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and six steals as Boston defeated Philadelphia and took the #1 spot. While Bird was undoubtedly MVP of that game (Erving was held to 19 points on 9-of-19 shooting), voters picked Erving for the season’s trophy soon after. It was a bit of a lifetime achievement award for the long-time star, who was 30 years old and arguably past his prime at that point, while voters must have known that the young Bird would get his chance at MVPs in the near future. Sure enough, he eventually won three straight, starting with the ’83-’84 campaign. Bird also got the last laugh in this ’80-’81 season, leading the Celtics over Erving’s 76ers in a thrilling Conference Finals en route to the NBA championship.

17) ’69-’70: Willis Reed over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West

By our metrics, West was the greatest player never to win the MVP award and of the four times he finished in second place in voting, this is when he came closest to taking it home. Part of West’s issue was always splitting votes with his Lakers teammate, Elgin Baylor, but the latter was aging quickly and no longer an elite threat by the ’69-’70 season. West’s 31.2 points per game led the league this season and he also came in fourth in assists. In the closest vote in history up to that point, the honoree was instead Reed, in a continuing resolution that centers were the dominant force in the pre-Magic and Bird NBA. Though Reed proved them correct in many ways by soon after adding a Finals MVP trophy in leading the Knicks to their first championship, his regular season stats actually paled in comparison to a rival center, Abdul-Jabbar. But the young Bucks center finished third in voting, coming up just short of joining Wes Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

18) ’04-’05: Steve Nash over Shaquille O’Neal
19) ’05-’06: Steve Nash over Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dirk Nowitzki
20) ’06-’07: Dirk Nowitzki over Steve Nash

Easily the most controversial three-year run in MVP voting history started in ’04-’05, when Nash won a close decision over O’Neal. In a year where no one truly stood out from the pack, Nash won it thanks to his innovative offensive approach that spearheaded an incredible turnaround for the Suns, from 29 wins in ’03-’04 to 62 wins and the #1 seed in the West in ’04-’05. Still, O’Neal had the better stats and his trade from Los Angeles to Miami arguably swung the standings even more dramatically that season. Nash’s second MVP win in ’05-’06 was much more egregious, as the Suns star’s statistics were easily outflanked by his former Dallas teammate Nowitzki, the rising star James, and the rejuvenated Bryant. In an interesting denouement, Nash was arguably the best choice in ’06-’07 but was denied the award, likely due to the backlash over his previous two wins. Instead the trophy went to Nowitzki, who accepted it under less than ideal circumstances, with the ceremony happening after he had severely choked in a stunning first round postseason loss to the Warriors.