Top 10 Best Players Never To Have A Regular Season MVP

It’s been awhile since I posted a top 10… I sorta missed it due to the busyness of my sked and I never really had a chance to think about what to write… It’s injustice to see and realize that some great players will never be able to have monumental in their already amazing legacy… That’s just the way it is in the NBA… You could be a great player but when you’re in a Jordan/LeBron era there’s a slim chance of you winning an MVP… MVP awards cement your greatness in the NBA. You can have a championship ring which will always be sweeter than any individual accolades but having an MVP is very special. Bill Wennington, Michael Doleac and Brian Scalabrine can brag that they are champions but they can never ever brag that MVP greatness. Some guys get snubbed and robbed. You can ask these guys… These are my top 10 Great Players never to have won an MVP award.

10. Pete Maravich- As exciting as Pistol Pete was in the ’70’s, he never really got recognized as a serious threat for an MVP… But you’ve got to consider how much of an offensive force he was throughout his career, how much of a highlight reel he was and how much of a leader he was whether with the Jazz or with the Hawks… Wish he was still alive today to see how many fans wanted to see and appreciate him…

9. Alonzo Mourning- Zo is what a coach could ask for in a Center… A fierce competitor who hates to lose, a guy who provides toughness both on the offense and defense… Heck he is the guy the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets tried to build around… The shortened 1999 Season was a breakout year for Zo. No more MJ hindering his goals, he tried every way possible to lead Miami to the best record in the East… Unfortunately, Zo lost the MVP plum to The Mailman in one of the closest race to MVP ever… What hurts more was that his team, the Heat were upset by the 8-seed New York Knicks in the first round… Ouch! Years later, 2006, he finally got a taste of a title which had eluded him for so long..

8. Dominique Wilkins- The Human Highlight Film will always be known for his dunking ability and out-of-this-world athleticism… He will be part of history in that shootout duel with counterpart Larry Bird in the 1988… He is one of the better scorers the league has ever seen… A two-time Slam Dunk Champ and a man filled with so many arsenal that you just have to dig deeper than deep to stop him… His run with Atlanta has always been memorable… That’s why it’s sad to see ‘nique not winning an MVP award throughout his NBA Career…

7. John Stockton- Whenever you think of Stock, you always think of his partner too. You just can’t separate Karl Malone and John Stockton because the two worked well as a duo… One of the most dangerous the NBA has ever had… The all-time league leader in assist deserved one championship but (sigh) he was just at a wrong time and place especially when you’re up against a guy named Jordan in the Finals. Still, I think once in awhile, we could argue Stockton to have at least one MVP… But with Karl Malone doing all the scoring, and him doing all the passing, he will be a sleeper. What impresses me with John Stockton is how calm he was in certain situations in games… You never know when he’ll take over… If Steve Nash had two, Stock should have at least one to cement his greatness.

6. Clyde Drexler- In an era filled with great superstars. The Glide had to take a mini-slide down to greatness as he bowed down to Magic, Isaiah and Michael during the playoffs. But no one has ever made much of an impact with the Blazers other than Clyde Drexler (let’s forget Roy for awhile)… His ability to score, play defense and make some highlight moments made him one of the top contenders for the MVP. However the award never really fell into his hands. Still, you can’t argue the fact that Clyde has a championship ring while Barkley is still dreaming of one…

5. Isiah Thomas- While you could say he is one of the purest warriors in NBA history, it is still a shock to me and to a lot of fans (especially Detroit) that Thomas NEVER won an MVP award. Why is that? Well, my guess is he is playing in a team-oriented system which disallows him from putting up 3o ppg. But Isiah Thomas is a guy capable of doing that if he WANTS to but he wanted to win a championship so bad he satyed with the system. Result? 2 Rings and a Finals MVP award but no Regular Season MVP… To him, that’s just OK.

4. Reggie Miller- Ultra clutch and a Knick Killer. That’s what he’ll be remembered for. He is recognized as one of the best IF NOT, the greatest shooter in NBA history. What’s sad in his story is that no matter how clutch Reggie was and is, he was never able to translate it to a championship. Michael Jordan was standing in the way. Ultimate opportunity came knocking down in 2000 when they finally entered the Finals for the first time in franchise history but he fell short because of the Shaq-led Lakers. It’s still hard to imagine Reggie no individual accolade to remind us of his greatness and no championship.. (sigh) But come on, you can never argue that he’s one of the greatest ever.

3. Jason Kidd- As a fan, this was probably the most hurtful. I just think he got robbed. Plain and Simple. 2001-02 season… Another boring season for the Nets until they traded Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd. People thought he was going to play another woeful season with New Jesrey but lo and behold, the guy carried the doormat team on his shoulders and they took advantage of that ride. From a 26 win season, Kidd transformed the Nets to a 52-win team. I could care less if the east was very weak at that time. He made New Jersey relevant during his tenure. He deserved the MVP that year but he got robbed. And to tag off the line in Game 6 of the East Finals by a commentator, “Maybe the world is flat after all, the New Jersey Nets are going to the NBA Finals!”(LOL)

2. Jerry West- Mr. Clutch will always be among the Top 5 Greatest Laker ever. You can NEVER argue with that. But despite his clutchness and leadership, he never got any MVP recognition during his years with the Lakers. It’s hard to imagine a guy whom a lot of players pay so much respect with never winning the greatest individual award. If the experts would rank this, I’m sure they’d put West as the “Greatest Player never to have Win an MVP award”…

1. Patrick Ewing- Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994, David Robinson in 1995, Shaquille O’Neal in 2000… Where the heck is Ewing’s? Oh man… It’s hard to imagine Patrick not winning any MVP… I thought he’d win at least one but to the surprise of me and the Knicks fans, he just fell short. Like I said, it’s hard to win anything especially when you are in an era where one player is dominating you. Pat is one of those guys whom Jordan liked to torture competitively. I put Pat at the top of the list because of the aformentioned centers who has at least one MVP, I hate NOT to include Pat in that least… It’s a painful thing to imagine but he will always be recoginized as one of the greatest big men ever… No one can take that away…

NOTES: I am just talking about the Regular Season MVP here… All-Star MVP’s and Finals MVP are excluded…