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Today's NBA games

All scores & games
Game times: Eastern Time.Overview follows Eastern league dates.

NBA award history

Verified MVP and Defensive Player of the Year seasons, player profiles, sources and coverage gaps.

Regular-season MVP winners

The regular-season Most Valuable Player award is separate from Finals MVP. This history covers every winning season from 1955-56 through 2025-26.

Checked against the NBA’s historical winners list. Captured .

71 verified records · Page 2 of 3

SeasonAward yearWinnerSource record
1995-961996Michael JordanDetails
1994-951995David RobinsonDetails
1993-941994Hakeem OlajuwonDetails
1992-931993Charles BarkleyDetails
1991-921992Michael JordanDetails
1990-911991Michael JordanDetails
1989-901990Magic JohnsonDetails
1988-891989Magic JohnsonDetails
1987-881988Michael JordanDetails
1986-871987Magic JohnsonDetails
1985-861986Larry BirdDetails
1984-851985Larry BirdDetails
1983-841984Larry BirdDetails
1982-831983Moses MaloneDetails
1981-821982Moses MaloneDetails
1980-811981Julius ErvingDetails
1979-801980Kareem Abdul-JabbarDetails
1978-791979Moses MaloneDetails
1977-781978Bill WaltonDetails
1976-771977Kareem Abdul-JabbarDetails
1975-761976Kareem Abdul-JabbarDetails
1974-751975Bob McAdooDetails
1973-741974Kareem Abdul-JabbarDetails
1972-731973Dave CowensDetails
1971-721972Kareem Abdul-JabbarDetails
1970-711971Kareem Abdul-JabbarDetails
1969-701970Willis ReedDetails
1968-691969Wes UnseldDetails
1967-681968Wilt ChamberlainDetails
1966-671967Wilt ChamberlainDetails

Award history · NBA historical winners · CC0 data license. The selected award is separate from other award categories. Player links use exact source identifiers.

Explore all eight award histories

Season-by-season references, repeat winners and shared awards. These dated reference archives are separate from the verified MVP and Defensive Player of the Year records above.

Awards eligibility: How the 65-game rule, minutes and exceptions work.