Biggest NBA MVP Snubs of the Decade

It’s exasperating to think that people misinterpret the meaning of M-V-P. In the simplest of terms, it stands for Most Valuable Player. And yet, the NBA, time and time again, almost always botches their choice for the MVP Award. With that mind, and in honor of the decade rapidly drawing to a close, let’s highlight the biggest MVP snubs of the last 10 seasons. 

2010-2011

Winner: Derrick Rose

Snub: LeBron James

This will probably go down as the most colossal MVP upset of all time, in any sport, and marked the trend of the NBA dishing any player not named LeBron the award simply because him winning it every year would be bad optics for the league. No comprehensive analysis is needed here. Let's just compare the numbers. Prepare a bucket, because they might make your stomach queasy.

LeBron: 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 51% from the floor, 33% from range.

Rose: 25 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 45.5% from the floor, 33.2% from range.

That is puke-worthy, folks.

2011-2012

Winner: LeBron James

Snub: Kevin Durant 

It’s almost impossible to argue against LeBron winning the MVP for a particular season -- and the NBA ultimately decided to deprive him of hoisting the trophy after his fourth -- but the Association wouldn’t have been berated if they opted to give Durant the award in 2012. 

James only blew KD away in terms of assists, as he averaged 6.2 per game compared to Durant’s 3.5 tally. The Slim Reaper won the scoring title with 28 per game, and averaged more rebounds and blocks than LBJ. He also led the Thunder to more wins than the Heat. James’ shooting percentages were superior to Durant’s, but that’s also because he took far fewer shots per game. 

OKC natives have every right to hold a grudge that KD has one less MVP attached to his name. 

2012-2013: None

Any Thunder fans salty that Durant didn’t come out on top this time around should sit down and shut up. 

There’s a reason LeBron -- who averaged 26.8 points, eight rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks while shooting 56.5% from the floor and 40.5% from distance -- was almost a unanimous selection. 

The fact that Carmelo Anthony, not Kevin Durant, received the ONE stinking vote that prevented the unanimous settlement is a JOKE. Reveal yourself, coward!

2013-2014: None

Again! And rightfully so.

Kevin Durant finally hoisting the award undoubtedly had Thunder buffs walking around with smug looks on their faces. In their eyes, a fresh dish of karma was served to the basketball landscape. While we don’t necessarily agree with that sentiment, the Texas product thoroughly deserved the award this time around. 

No. 35 led the league in scoring with a whopping 32 points per game, while averaging 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals alongside mind-blowing .503/.391/.873 shooting percentages. 

What a year for KD apologists and LeBron cynics. 

2014-2015

Winner: Stephen Curry

Snub: James Harden

Given his countless snubs, Harden probably has a deadly vendetta against the voting committee, who (once again) fell in love with the player on a team that made history. Of course, Curry's Warriors won a whopping 67 games in 2014-2015.

People fail to realize that Harden led an injury-riddled Rockets squad to 56 dubs all while averaging 27.4 points, 7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Curry, on the other hand, logged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and two steals.

Steph's otherworldly shooting percentages -- .440/.375/.868 -- were ultimately the deciding factor, and further prove that voters ADORE unlikely narratives when considering who is deserving of the MVP.

2015-2016: None

Winner: Stephen Curry, who led Golden State to a league-record 73 wins while eclipsing the record for 3-pointers made in one season with a whopping 402 (the previous record was 286). It was a unanimous selection, and rightfully so. 

The matter of the fact is that Curry’s efficiency from beyond the arc initiated the transformation of the NBA to a 3-point dominated league. While doing so, the Davidson product averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. 

If you suggest that a Kawhi Leonard or LeBron was merely deserving of a first-place vote, you should promptly have your basketball fan card revoked. One year later, talent trumps narrative, unanimously.

2016-2017

Winner: Russell Westbrook

Snub: LeBron James

You could also make an argument for James Harden here, but we'll give the nod to The King as a bigger snub, mainly because he didn't even finish in the top three (!). No, that was not a misprint. This marked the year where everybody fell in love the triple-double, and Brodie managed to average one while shattering the single-season record in the process.

Let's be real, folks. A player who shoots under 43% from the floor isn't the league's most valuable.

2017-2018: None

Winner: James Harden

It was really only a matter of time until The Beard won an MVP, and he was rightfully gifted the hardware for the sensational campaign he put together in 2017-18. Harden led the Association with 36.1 points (!) alongside 5.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game while shooting a shade under 45% from the floor and 36.7% from beyond the arc. 

To put the cherry on top of a groundbreaking cake, he led the Rockets to the No.1 seed in the Western Conference with a 65-17 record. 

You could make a shout for LeBron here (he received 15 first-place votes), but like we said earlier: Harden was winning this year no matter what. The King wasn't snubbed.

2018-2019: None

Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo

We dare some lunatic out there to say that Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t deserve the MVP last season. The Greek Freak firmly entered himself in the discussion as the NBA’s best player, a debate he will be mentioned in for the next decade.

The Bucks superstar averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting a hair under 58% from the field. Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to an Eastern Conference-best 60-22 record and mustered one of the most impressive MVP campaigns, from a defensive perspective, that you will ever see. 

Long may he reign.

2019-2020: To Be Determined

Between, LeBron, Giannis, Anthony Davis, Luke Doncic, and Pascal Siakam (yes, don’t hate), this season’s MVP race is shaping up to be one of the more competitive in recent memory.

Buckle in, folks, because voters are going to have their hands full.