Michael Jordan is synonymous with greatness. He was an extremely talented player who put the entire NBA on watch multiple times throughout his storied career. He took down plenty of championships, consistently played at a high level, and won 5 MVPs.
All-time great players get at least one MVP award during their career, with a special few taking home the prize multiple times. This guide will look at how many Jordan had, and analyze how those years stood out so much compared to other fantastic athletes.
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MVP Wins
Winning a league MVP is one of the toughest things to do in the NBA. At any given time, there are numerous players across the league with hall of fame talent. Being the best of that group, regardless of age or year, is an incredibly difficult task.
For instance, in today’s league Jokic won MVP over a slew of generational talent including Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry. That’s just one example, but it shows the mountain an MVP player has to climb each and every season.
The sheer difficulty of standing out among such a stacked crowd is why every single MVP player is either in, or will likely be in, the Hall of Fame. Not only that, but every MVP-caliber season revolves around an insane amount of stats that’s hard to achieve.
Looking at that, it shows just how much talent a player needs to win a single award and how getting two or more is truly unique.
The Cutoff
Winning an MVP is tough, but there are quite a few players who have multiple. Quite a few players have two, which usually come during back to back years, and a couple all-time greats (including Lebron, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird) have three or four.
Jordan has five, which puts him on an entirely different level. The field is littered with talent, but it rapidly thins as it moves up. Seven players have two MVP awards, three have three, two have four, and three have more than that. Jordan is one of them.
Jordan earned five MVPs during his career, putting him in the same category as Bill Russel (5) and one below Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6). Getting that many awards is almost hard to believe, and shows just how special he was during his peak. He didn’t just win, he conquered.
A Decade of Dominance
Jordan is widely regarded as the best player in NBA history, but he didn’t peak right away. The talented guard didn’t hit his stride until the 90’s, when he rose from a good player to the undisputed G.O.A.T.
He won his first in 1988, after bringing the once-dead Bulls franchise back to prominence. It was The other four he won during his incredible streak during the 90’s. He won the awards in 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998.
He averaged more than 30 points in four of those seasons, pulled down over six rebounds, and averaged around four assists. He was also a strong leader who pushed the rest of his team and brought them to new heights. The Bulls simply wouldn’t have been the same without him.
Still, getting four MVPs in a seven year stretch is crazy. It’s even more absurd given that he went on to win championships in each of those seasons as well. He was the best player in the league, and he showed it time and time again.
Final Words
Michael Jordan is one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. Though it’s easy to focus on his championships, his MVP seasons were impressive as well. Winning one, two, or three is a big deal, but only three players ever hit the five mark. Jordan deserved every single one.
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