Stephen Curry has won the MVP award by a unanimous vote, the NBA announced via press release. He’s the first-ever unanimous winner. Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James each fell one vote shy of winning MVP unanimously in 2000 and 2013, respectively. Curry collected 130 first-place votes from writers and broadcasters as well as the fan vote, according to the league.
It’s the second straight MVP award for the 28-year-old Curry, whose salary of less than $11.4MM makes him only No. 63 among the highest-paid players in the NBA, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes (on Twitter). Next season will be the last on the discounted extension he signed amid concerns over the health of his ankles in 2012.
Curry exploded for 17 points in overtime to lead the Warriors over Portland in Game 4 of their series Monday, setting a new NBA record for the most points scored in either a regular season or playoff overtime. It was just the latest astounding performance for Curry, who came off the bench in that game. His 402 total 3-pointers made this season shattered the previous record of 286, a mark he set just last season. Just the seventh pick in the 2009 draft, Curry’s game has since blossomed in ways no one thought possible, epitomizing the NBA’s increasing emphasis on the 3-pointer. He was the NBA’s leading scorer at 30.1 points per game this season, 6.1 points better than his previous career best, and he finished fourth in Most Improved Player of the Year award voting.
The 6’3″ Curry isn’t just a one-way player, either. He led the NBA with 2.1 steals per game and finished sixth among point guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus metric.
Perhaps most importantly, Curry stood out as the best player on the team that compiled the best regular season record in NBA history, as the Warriors went 73-9 this year. Golden State has lost twice thus far in the playoffs, both in games that Curry missed because of injury. His performance Monday erased any doubt about his ability to be at full strength going forward, however.
Kawhi Leonard finished second in the voting, followed closely by LeBron James. Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were fourth and fifth, respectively. The balloting system awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote. To see a ballot-by-ballot breakdown, click here.
All of this year’s vote-getters are listed below, along with their point totals.
- Stephen Curry (Warriors) — 1,310
- Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) — 634
- LeBron James (Cavaliers) — 631
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder) — 486
- Kevin Durant (Thunder) — 147
- Chris Paul (Clippers) — 107
- Draymond Green (Warriors) — 50
- Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) — 26
- James Harden (Rockets) — 9
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors) — 6
Don’t have a problem with Curry winning it, he did deserve it…but I disagree with the unanimous win. In my opinion, I thought Russ and LeBron should’ve gotten a couple of first place votes.
Wake up…..Curry proved again last night that he was the most valuable by far
Regular season awards are not determined by playoff performances. If you’re really going to say playoff performances matter, then the fact that the Warriors finished off the Rockets and won twice against Portland would hurt Curry’s case. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have won, he definetly did and if he got 129 out of the 130 first place votes then sure…but MVP should be the best guy in the league who has the biggest presence for his team. For example, LeBron missed a handful of games and the Cavs lost all but one or two (I think) of those games. Yet Curry missed a couple of games and the team didn’t lose. Not saying LeBron should’ve won but Curry should not have been a unanimous winner.
There is a lot of hypocrisy in these awards over the years. Just ignore it. People aren’t as salty at Steph/Kawhi (MVP/DPOY) as they were/are with LeBron, so they’ll get the awards they deserve. Obviously, the fact that this is the 1st unanimous selection shows you how ridiculous it has been.
Well deserved. Went God mode yesterday in OT.
Good win all the awards Golden State because the title is coming home to Cleveland!
Nah
I thought green should have gotten more. Love curry but I think draymond is also a big piece.
No love for Paul George?????
seriously! PG3 would be great if he actually had a team around him! SMH, shouldn’t have signed that long contract he still got 4 more years left in INDY with 1st round exits, sad! He will be next KG, before going to boston.
Steph MVP? But Lillard scores nearly 40ppg against him in Portland. Kawhi was the best player in the league this year. ESPN just doesn’t run highlight after highlight of his game. Shoots as well from the 3 as Curry, and blows him away on the defensive side of the court, which should count for 50% of your game.
Shoots as well as Curry from 3? I think you lost all credibility with that comment. I know you are speaking to percentages, but how many less did Kawhi take? If you look at the advanced stats, Curry was not blown away by anyone defensively. I wouldn’t say he is elite, but the man holds his own on that end of the floor.
The only part of your argument that is correct is Kawhi’s defense (which he was recognized for). Shoots as well from 3? Come on. Steph MAKES more 3’s per game then Kawhi attempts! Steph averages almost as many rebounds as Kawhi AND way more assists.
People that only see the “ESPN” highlights and don’t watch Curry’s games don’t realize how great of a playmaker he really is. Scoring aside he is one of the best ball handlers in the league and constantly creating for his teammates.
On top of that he is the best scorer in the league, shattered his own 3 point record, and is the most dominant offensive player in the game right now.
I get Kawhi fans have to support their guy but you have to give credit where it is due. Curry was the best player in the league this year and there really was not a close 2nd.
Honestly, who voted for James Harden or kyle Lowry? What a joke. There were multiple great seasons that will be overshadowed by Steph this year. He definitely should win that award this season. Then it becomes interesting. I personally would have gone with
1.Stephen Curry
2.LeBron James
3.Chris Paul
4.Kevin Durant
5.Kawhi Leonard
6.Russell Westbrook
It’s crazy that after that kind of a season I’d have Westbrook 6th, but I don’t know how I can put any of those other guys behind him