Top 10 Best NBA Players to Never Win MVP

The MVP award is one of the most prestigious honors in the NBA, celebrating the players who had the biggest impact on the game each season. Yet, not every legendary player gets their moment in the MVP spotlight, even some of the greatest to ever play the game.

There are icons in basketball history who consistently dominated, led their teams to victory, and put up jaw-dropping stats, but for one reason or another, never took home an MVP trophy. The reasons for this vary: sometimes it's because they played alongside other MVP-caliber stars, or they happened to peak in a crowded era of exceptional talent, or maybe they were just consistently great but never had that one breakout season that grabbed enough attention.

The Top Ten

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player. He played 16 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Miami Heat. After retiring in 2019, Wade became involved in sports media and ownership, including part-ownership of the Utah Jazz and Chicago Sky, and was inducted into the... read more

Best NBA Season: 2008-2009
30.2 points per game
5.0 rebounds per game
7.5 assists per game
1.3 blocks per game
2.2 steals per game
Team Record: 43-39
Jerry West

Jerry Alan West was an American basketball player known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent his entire professional career playing for the Lakers in the National Basketball Association. West is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

As one of the greatest long-range shooters in history, he achieved amazing numbers before the three-point shot was instituted. It's not unrealistic to assume he would have made two or three "threes" per game, which would have brought his career numbers on par with Chamberlain and Jordan.

Best NBA Season: 1969-1970
31.2 points per game
4.6 rebounds per game
7.5 assists per game
Team Record: 46-36

Somehow, he averaged over 30 points and did not win MVP.
John Havlicek

John Joseph "Hondo" Havlicek was a professional American basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons.
He played from 1962 to 1978 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest small forwards... read more

Best NBA Season: 1970-1971
28.9 points per game
9.0 rebounds per game
7.5 assists per game
Team Record: 44-38
Elgin Baylor

Elgin Gay Baylor (September 16, 1934 to March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the NBA, beginning with the Minneapolis Lakers and continuing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Baylor earned 11 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA... read more

He averaged a double-double and had the highest points per game average besides Wilt Chamberlain. Bill Russell won MVP with 18.9 points and 23.6 rebounds per game, which sounds good. But Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain also had double-doubles. (Wilt should have won with an insane 50.4 points and 25.6 rebounds per game.) The NBA's choice of Bill Russell was a poor one in my opinion, and you could argue that Elgin Baylor had better stats than Bill Russell (and obviously Wilt Chamberlain).

In the 1961-62 season, he had the highest scoring average in history for any player not named Wilt Chamberlain. Yes, it was higher than Michael Jordan's best season. Nobody remembers the guy who came in second.
Elvin Hayes

Elvin Ernest Hayes is an American retired professional basketball player. He played collegiately for the Houston Cougars and went on to a successful NBA career. After retiring, he served as a radio analyst for the Houston Cougars.

Best NBA Season: 1970-1971
28.7 points per game
16.6 rebounds per game
2.3 assists per game
Team Record: 40-42
Isiah Thomas

Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who spent his entire NBA career with the Detroit Pistons. He was a 12-time All-Star, won two NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, and was named NBA Finals MVP in 1990. Thomas was inducted into the Naismith... read more

Best NBA Season: 1984-1985
21.2 points per game
4.5 rebounds per game
13.9 assists per game
0.3 blocks per game
2.3 steals per game
Team Record: 46-36
Patrick Ewing

Patrick Aloysius Ewing is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player and coach, born on August 5, 1962. He had a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, most notably with the New York Knicks. Ewing later served as the head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team from 2017 to 2023... read more

Best NBA Season: 1989-1990
28.6 points per game
10.9 rebounds per game
2.2 assists per game
4.0 blocks per game
1.0 steals per game
Team Record: 45-37
John Stockton

John Houston Stockton is an American retired professional basketball player. He played his entire NBA career from 1984 to 2003 as a point guard for the Utah Jazz. Stockton is widely considered one of the best point guards in basketball history.... read more

Best NBA Season: 1989-1990
17.2 points per game
2.6 rebounds per game
14.5 assists per game
0.2 blocks per game
2.7 steals per game
Team Record: 55-27
Chris Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul is an American professional basketball player and a twelve‑time NBA All‑Star. As of July 2025, he is a free agent after playing the previous season with the San Antonio Spurs, during which he started all 82 games and reached over 23,000 career points and 12,000 assists. He has... read more

Best NBA Season: 2008-2009
22.8 points per game
5.5 rebounds per game
11.0 assists per game
0.1 blocks per game
2.8 steals per game
Team Record: 49-33
George Gervin

George Gervin, nicknamed "The Iceman," is a retired American professional basketball player. He played in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. His career included time with the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls.

Best NBA Season: 1979-1980
33.1 points per game
5.2 rebounds per game
2.6 assists per game
1.0 blocks per game
1.4 steals per game

The Newcomers

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Rajon Rondo

Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American former professional basketball player who last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season. He won two NBA championships, one with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and another with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Rondo announced his retirement on April 2, 2024, after a career... read more

Best NBA Season: 2011-12
12 points per game
5 rebounds per game
12 assists per game
2 steals per game
Team Record: 39-27 (lockout season)
In the playoffs, he ramped it up!
17.3 points per game
7 rebounds per game
12 assists per game
2.4 steals per game
He led the Celtics to within one win of the 2012 Finals.
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Joe Dumars

The Contenders

Chris Bosh

Christopher Wesson Bosh is a retired American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat and was selected as an NBA All-Star 11 times. Bosh officially retired in 2019, and the Miami Heat retired his jersey on March 26, 2019.
Dominique Wilkins

Jacques Dominique Wilkins is an American retired professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Known for his scoring ability and powerful dunks, he was a nine-time NBA All-Star. Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball... read more
Tracy McGrady

Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player. He is best known for his career in the National Basketball Association, where he played as both a shooting guard and a small forward. McGrady was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball... read more

Best NBA season: 2002-03
32 Points per game
6.5 rebounds per game
5.5 assists per game
1.7 steals per game
1 block per game
Team record: 42-40
Paul Pierce

Paul Anthony Pierce is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the NBA, spending most of his career with the Boston Celtics. Pierce also had brief stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers before retiring after the 2016-17 season.

Best NBA season: 2002-03
26 points per game
7.3 rebounds per game
4.5 assists per game
2 steals per game
1 block per game
Clyde Drexler

Clyde Austin "The Glide" Drexler is an American retired professional basketball player. During his career, he was a ten-time NBA All-Star and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Drexler won an NBA Championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial... read more
Yao Ming

Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player and a prominent basketball executive. He played for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association and for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association. After retiring in 2011, he took on leadership roles in Chinese... read more