Five greatest players to never win NBA MVP

Kendrick Perkins believes Kawhi Leonard is the greatest player to never win the NBA’s MVP Award. 

The two-time Finals MVP is a credible pick, but Perkins glossed over a lot of other great players over the years who led their teams to glory without winning the regular-season MVP Award. 

Here, we rank the five greatest players to never win the Michael Jordan Trophy.

Notable Omissions

It’s never easy to leave out other legends from such a list. Some honorable mentions include John Stockton (NBA’s all-time assists leader), Isiah Thomas (two-time NBA champion), John Havlicek (eight-time NBA champion) and Patrick Ewing (11-time All-Star). 

No. 5: Chris Paul
Closest MVP finish:
Second in 2007-2008

The NBA’s “Point God” has overcome a lot of physical disadvantages to excel in a game of giants, making 12 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive teams in his storied career. 

Paul has also led the NBA five times in assists and six times in steals — the only player in history to do so. The 39-year-old continues to seek an elusive NBA title, but he’s done enough to cement his legacy.

No. 4 Jason Kidd
Closest MVP finish: Second in 2001-2002

In an alternate universe, Kidd is the former two-time MVP winner from the 2000s, not Steve Nash. It’s easy to forget how great Kidd was on both ends of the floor when he led the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. 

If he hadn’t run into the Kobe-Shaq Lakers and Tim Duncan’s Spurs, Kidd would have multiple rings to go with the 2011 championship he won with Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks.

No. 3: Kawhi Leonard
Closest MVP finish:
Second in 2015-2016

The Clippers star’s recent injury history has marred an otherwise legendary career. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has been credited for ending the dynasties of the Heat and Warriors by handing them demoralizing NBA Finals losses in 2014 and 2019, respectively.

However, since those performances, he hasn’t done enough to build on his resume, causing him to lose some legacy points. 

No. 2: Dwyane Wade
Closest MVP finish:
Third in 2008-2009

The Heat legend would have won MVP if he hadn’t played in an era of a prime Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, not to mention Steve Nash’s pioneering exploits in Phoenix. 

His 2006 NBA Finals run is among the greatest performances in postseason history. With Shaquille O’Neal regressing from his prime, Wade took over as alpha dog, averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals as the Heat overcame a 2-0 deficit to win their first championship.

No. 1: Jerry West
Closest MVP finish:
Second in 1965-1966, 1969-1970, 1970-1971 and 1971-1972

“The Logo” led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals but kept running into the Celtics juggernaut. And the one time he came close to beating the C’s, in 1969, the voters gave him Finals MVP despite a loss. He won his elusive NBA title in 1972, securing the legacy of a winner and shedding the “runner-up” tag that haunted his career. 

He still holds the record for most points (1,679) and 30-point games (31) in NBA Finals history. He remains a rare player by making the All-Star team in all his 14 seasons in the NBA.