Stephen Curry had one of the greatest individual seasons during the 2015/16 campaign. He was the star player for the Golden State Warriors, the team he led to a 73-9 regular season record. The MVP was under wraps, but most people thought Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James could have also competed for the award, but only Steph had a first-place vote.
With all 131 ballots unanimously voting for Steph, some critics came out regarding the voting. They either disagreed Steph was the unanimous choice or that this was the first time that had happened. One of the vocal people was former All-Star Gary Payton , who wanted some clarification.
“People have to understand we don’t have an issue with Stephen Curry. Stephen Curry doesn’t vote for himself. You had 131 people that voted for him. I’ve got an issue with them,” Payton said to SiriusXM via SLAM in 2016. “We forgot Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points and 30 rebounds. You didn’t think he was a unanimous decision? Who else ever did that and scored 100 points in one game? And he didn’t even win it (in 1962). That’s what I’m trying to say.”
The NBA had other candidates for unanimous MVPs
Payton’s argument is not about Curry himself but about the voting. Steph deserved his unanimous MVP nod in 2016, but other candidates could have easily achieved the same thing as Steph did during that historic season.
Gary made a good point with Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 1961/62 season. It was the season when he had the magical 100-point performance and averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game across 80 games. Not only was Wilt snubbed from being the first unanimous MVP, but he was not even the MVP because Bill Russell won the award that season.
A recent example of a potential unanimous MVP was 2012/13 LeBron James, who had one of the most impressive all-around seasons. He was the MVP, averaging 26.8 points, eight rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. At the same time, he was arguably the best defender in the NBA, barely missing out on the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The NBA has had some fantastic players throughout its long history, but names like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Michael Jordan have not won unanimous MVPs during their careers. Steph is the only player who has done this, which has been the root of the problem for GP.
GP calls out inconsistency with the media votes
NBA awards races are interesting because the votes come from people who cover the league. Narratives play a massive role in these races, which could lead to some players getting the MVP, even if other players deserve it more based on various factors. Derrick Rose’s 2011 MVP comes to mind because he deserved the award, but LeBron had the better season.
However, Bron had to deal with his reputation taking a hit after The Decision, which involved him leaving Cleveland to sign for the Miami Heat to play alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The unanimous MVP is a tremendous achievement for Steph, but other players also deserve more for their efforts as top-tier talents and leaders of their respective teams.
Related: Gary Payton explains the backlash over LeBron's 2010 Miami decision: "I wouldn't want to play with Hakeem. I wanted to beat them"
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