Top Ten Active NBA Players without an MVP Award

A lot of the players on the list are all-time greats who will be Hall of Famers one day, but a lot of them were never the top players at their positions and obviously never the top player in the NBA. There are some exceptions but that’s largely why these players have been passed over for the MVP award, which seems to be being spread around every year now. I’ve included the players most well-known position and their career MVP shares in my rankings.

Honorable Mentions-

Joel Embiid, C Philadelphia 76ers 0.004 MVP Shares

In another er,a Embiid would have been a shoe-in to eventually win the MVP. But the game has transitioned toward more versatile guards and monster forwards like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Victor Oladipo, SG Indiana Pacers 0.002 MVP Shares

Speaking of versatile guards, Oladipo showed off explosiveness on par with Russell Westbrook last season and added in his superior three-point shooting. He’s the do-it-all king of guard that the MVP race tends to favor.

Vince Carter, SF Atlanta Hawks 0.051 MVP Shares

He just signed with the Hawks to play in his 21^stseason in the association. He lands on this list because he was once one of the most explosive and exciting players in the association and because of the amount of time he’s been playing.

No. 10

The next great young player (Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, etc.)

The NBA is entering an age flush with young stars that will one day take over for their aging counterparts. At least one of them will rise to MVP status.

No. 9

Damian Lillard, PG Portland Trailblazers 0.225 MVP Shares

Lillard is a great scoring point guard, but there are other guards who just do it better than him or bring more to the table that just scoring. I don’t think he’ll ever take home and MVP, but he is still one of the best and scariest guards to cover in the association. I think he’ll make the Hall of Fame when he retires. Lillard has only received MVP shares twice, with .205 of them coming last year. He finished fourth in the voting.

No. 8

Karl-Anthony Towns, C Minnesota Timberwolves 0.000 MVP Shares

Towns’ work ethnic has been called into question as of late, but he has the size and scoring ability to be an MVP if he rounds out his game more. He’s still too young and immature to have received any MVP shares, but he will get plenty if he focuses on getting better.

No. 7

Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF Houston Rockets 0.453 MVP Shares

Anthony is a former scoring champion and has always been a high volume scorer. This past year was the first time in his career he averaged less than 20 points per game and it was already his 15^thseasons. He’s earned MVP shares in six seasons with the most coming in 2012-13 with .393 shares. He finished third in the voting that year behind Durant and James.

No. 6

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Every Position Milwaukee Bucks 0.081 MVP Shares

Last preseason everyone was picking him to win the MVP and look how that turned out. While people are dying to crown Antetokounmpo prematurely, he is one of the most talented and versatile players in the NBA. For his work in the 2017-18 season, Antetokounmpo received a personal best .074 MVP shares.

No. 5

Anthony Davis, PF New Orleans Pelicans 0.599 MVP Shares

Davis has been an All-Star in five of his six NBA seasons and looks like he’ll be a big name in the association for years to come. The Brow has earned MVP shares in three seasons with the most coming this past year in 2017-18. Davis finished third in the MVP race with .441 shares.

No. 4

Dwight Howard, C Washington Wizards 1.249 MVP Shares

Howard managed to win three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, but no MVPs within the same span. There was actually a time when the debate was whether James or Howard would turn into a better play. That conversation has long since ended. After the 2010-11 season Howard got a personal best .531 MVP shares, trailing only Derrick Rose.

No. 3

Kawhi Leonard, SF Toronto Raptors 0.980 MVP Shares

Leonard’s only been in his prime for a few seasons and if he returns to form he’ll be one of the most complete players in the game without an MVP. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has won MVP shares in three seasons, the most coming in the 2016-17 season. With .495 shares he finished third behind James Harden and Westbrook. In 2015-16 Leonard finished second in the MVP race but had fewer shares.

No. 2

Dwyane Wade, SG Miami Heat 0.793 MVP Shares

Wade will go down as a top-five shooting guard of all-time, but he’s never won an MVP. He does have an All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP and has earned MVP shares in eight seasons though. The most he ever got was .562 in 2008-09, landing him behind Kobe Bryant and James.

No. 1

Chris Paul, PG Houston Rockets 1.640 MVP Shares

Paul brings a little bit of everything to the court. He’s mastered the art of passing and stealing and can still score at a good clip. He even grabs close to five rebounds per game. After the 2007-08 season, he got.710 MVP shares, his most ever, but ended up losing to Bryant.