Who are the Eight NBA Teams, Which Never Provided an MVP?

Posted on by Jack Marks

This was Nikola Jokic’s second consecutive season winning the MVP award, which is now formally given out by the NBA. The Denver Nuggets center became the second straight European to win the award back-to-back after Giannis Antetokounmpo did so in 2019 and 2020, making him only the 15th player to do so.

Since the 1955–1956 season, the NBA MVP has been granted annually to the top performer in the regular season. The winner is awarded the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which bears the name of the NBA’s first commissioner, who presided over the league from 1946 until 1963.

Nikola Jokic NBA MVP
Credits: Yahoo Sports

The NBA players voted for the MVP up through the 1979–80 season. Since the 1980–81 season, a group of sportswriters and broadcasters from around North America has adjudicated the award.

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Teams with no NBA MVP awards

As of the start of the 2020–21 NBA season, 34 different players from 21 different organizations have taken home the prestigious NBA MVP title. Since Nikola Jokic became the 35th recipient of the honor last season, both numbers have altered, giving the Denver Nuggets their first-ever NBA MVP. So let’s quickly review every franchise that hasn’t yet produced an NBA MVP.

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Charlotte Hornets
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Orlando Magic
  • Toronto Raptors

Given that Julius Erving won three consecutive ABA MVP awards in the Nets’ final three seasons in the league, they wouldn’t be on this list if it were for the ABA. Glen Rice’s fifth-place finish in the 1996–1997 NBA MVP voting was the Charlotte Hornets‘ closest experience to winning the award.

The Detroit Pistons, who have had many players inducted into the Hall of Fame throughout the years, are one of the more unexpected clubs on the list. Isiah Thomas didn’t come close to earning NBA MVP, despite the fact that his best performance was sixth in 1983–84. The Indiana Pacers, like the Brooklyn Nets, can lay claim to a few ABA MVP winners but no NBA MVP. The two ABA winners were Mel Daniels (1968–1969, 1970–1971) and George McGinnis.

The Memphis Grizzlies have never had a player place in the top five in the MVP vote, but Ja Morant‘s development may alter that in the future. Chris Paul, who finished as Kobe Bryant’s runner-up in 2007–08 while the team was still the Hornets, was the closest-ever Pelicans player to earning MVP.

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The MVP race has produced two runners-up from the Orlando Magic. As expected, Shaquille O’Neal was the first to attempt it in 1994–1995 but fell short against David Robinson. The highest placing for a Raptors player was eighth in 2006–07, courtesy of Chris Bosh.