As we know there are many years the MVP of the NBA, is not regarded as the best player in the league. In this article we will take a look back through the entire history of the NBA and which player we consider the best player in the league and how long their reign lasted. It’s based mostly on statistics and historical stature. While it’s somewhat objective we know who won the most MVP’s and many of the years in between when they did not win, they were just as good statistically in the advanced statistics and usually ranked 1st or in virtual ties. It had to be definitive to lose the throne, especially for the all-time greats.
Obviously, timing matters with all of this. Some players born in different era’s would have been the best player in the league at some point. Others would have been for longer. An all-time great like Tim Duncan was certainly close several times to taking the throne. He just was slightly overshadowed in our opinion by Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett. It may have only been by a hair in 2003, but given the historical track record of the time, we still believe Shaq was the most dominant player in the world. It was probably the hardest call but to remove a long setting best player it has to be without a doubt in our opinion that someone has taken it. Shaq was still arguably the best player in the NBA. Duncan was still an all-time great and some other years could have been the best player in the league.
Losing the Crown
There are no examples in our opinion other than LeBron James losing the crown later to regain it. Once a King takes the throne they sit on it until they are removed, and no others have made it back. (Michael Jordan walked away) For LeBron though it to a confluence of events, and a Unanimous MVP from Stephen Curry as well as a couple of slump LeBron years individually. With Curry’s 2016 season leading the 73 win Warriors there just was no way to not have him as the best player, regardless if they lost by a few points to the Cavs in 7 games.
Steph Curry changed the game those two seasons, bending defenses. He was injured in those playoffs which contributed to the team’s upset. Overall LeBron statistically had taken a step back in his early 30s as well. He was still not far behind, but he was not the clear best player in the NBA for those 3 seasons.
When Kevin Durant joined the 73 win Warriors and the best player he became clearly the best player that first season on what is likely the best team ever. It’s hard not to rank him as the best in the NBA at that point. Perhaps Curry was still just as good or an even more important player for the gravity he imposed on defense, but he willingly deferred and Durant. Kevin Durant had been in the top two or three best players in the NBA so long it was just his year, especially with LeBron’s slump years.
Return of the King To the Throne
LeBron would return highly motivated in 2017-18, and perhaps the Warriors put it in cruise control. As a team. The Warriors were just so good they could afford to be lazy. LeBron would lead the league in minutes per game and play all 82 games at 33 years old. LeBron would finish that season 1st in VORP, 3rd in PER, 2nd in BPM. James Harden was his biggest competition statistically in the major metrics that season and there is really no competition there.
Nikola Jokic’s Reign
Nikola Jokic has already been the best player in the NBA for the last three seasons. With 2 MVP’s and an NBA championship he is well on his way to building a legacy that could rival many of the all time greats. With his unique old man skill based game it seems conceivable that he could remain the best player in the NBA for another 5 years, possibly more. That would put him in LeBron and Jordan territory. He will only get smarter and while he will lose some athleticism his game has never thrived on that alone. Assuming health, five years may be on the low end of what is possible.
Conclusion
The MVP isn’t always the best player in the NBA. This gives an educated guess at just how many real MVPs each all-time great could have had. It’s a similar concept to individual sports like Tennis or Golf that track weeks at number one and end-of-year finishes at Number one for players’ legacy. Obviously, the era you are in and who your counterparts are will greatly affect this. For the most part, the players who have been the best in the NBA for long stretches are the best players ever though in our opinion and I believe most educated opinions that follow the NBA.
