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Kevin Durant in 2014. Russell Westbrook in 2017. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025.
Assuming Gilgeous-Alexander noses out Nikola Jokic for this year’s Most Valuable Player award, SGA will become the Thunder’s third MVP winner in the last 12 years.
That’s a one-MVP-per-presidential-term pace.
Producing three different MVP winners in any stretch of time is rare enough. Only the Rockets, Lakers, Celtics, 76ers and soon-to-be Thunder have done it. But three in a 12-year span is unprecedented. Until now.
Consider that eight franchises are still looking for their first MVP: the Grizzlies, Hornets, Magic, Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Pistons and Raptors.
A lot of small-market teams among them. Oklahoma City, in its 17th season, in the third-smallest market in the NBA, is the outlier.
No team has ever had an MVP trio the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in such quick succession. And that’s not even counting James Harden, a Thunder draft pick who went onto win an MVP with the Rockets.
Here are the five teams — and yes, we’re penciling in the Thunder — that produced three MVPs. Sorted by the span between awards, from longest to shortest.
Rockets: Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden (1982 to 2018, 37 years)
Malone won three MVPs: Two in Houston (1979 and 1982) and one in Philadelphia (1983).
Twelve seasons after Malone’s MVP season in Houston, Hakeem Olajuwon won his first and only MVP. Olajuwon finished top-5 in MVP voting six times.
Harden, in 2018, became the third Rocket to win MVP. He was second in MVP voting the year before and the year after.
Three Rocket MVPs in 37 years.
Lakers: Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant (1990 to 2008, 19 years)
A fourth Laker, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, won MVPs in 1976, ‘77 and ‘80, but we’re looking at the shortest span in which a team had three MVPs. For the Lakers, that’s Magic — who won the last of his three MVPs in 1990 — Shaq (2000) and Kobe (2008).
Three Lakers MVPs over a 19-year stretch.
It’s been 17 years since the Lakers last had an MVP. The Lakers haven’t had an MVP in the Thunder’s existence.
Celtics: Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens (1957 to 1973, 17 years)
Cousy and Russell went back-to-back in 1957 and 1958. Russell won again in ‘61, ‘62, ‘63 and ‘65. Dave Cowens, in 1973, became the third Celtic to win MVP. Cousy’s win to Cowens’ win spanned 17 seasons.
Larry Bird then won three consecutive MVPs from 1984-86. But the span between Cousy, Russell and Cowens winning MVP was shorter than that of Russell, Cowens and Bird.
The Celtics haven’t had the most players win MVP — that distinction belongs to the team below — but they have the most combined MVPs (10) among their winners.
Five for Russell, three for Bird and one each for Cowens and Cousy.
76ers: Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone (1968 to 1983, 16 years)
Five Sixers have won MVP: Wilt Chamberlain (‘66, ‘67, ‘68), Erving (‘81), Malone (‘83), Allen Iverson (‘01) and Joel Embiid (‘23)
That’s the most of any team. They combined for seven MVP awards, which is one fewer than the Lakers and two fewer than the Celtics.
The shortest span of three Sixers winning MVP was 16 years, from Chamberlain in 1968 to Malone in 1983.
Chamberlain and Malone both won MVPs with two organizations. Chamberlain’s first MVP came in 1960 with the then Philadelphia Warriors. Malone won back-to-back MVPs in 1982 and ‘83 — in ‘82 with the Rockets and ‘83 with the Sixers. Malone was also the 1979 MVP as a Rocket.
Thunder: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2014 to 2025, 12 years)
Not to jinx SGA (ballots have long been turned in), but he’s going to win.
In doing so, he’ll be the third Thunder to win MVP in the last 12 years.
Sam Presti should probably have that on his resume. Presti drafted three MVPs in Durant, Westbrook and James Harden — who won his MVP in Houston — and traded for another in SGA.
NBA teams with multiple MVP winners
76ers (5): Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid
Celtics (4): Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird
Lakers (4): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant
Rockets (3): Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden
*Thunder (3): Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Bucks (2): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bulls (2): Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose
Spurs (2): David Robinson, Tim Duncan
Suns (2): Charles Barkley, Steve Nash
Warriors (2): Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry
*Assuming SGA wins MVP
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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