The MVP award is one of the highest honors a player can receive in the NBA. The award has been determined by players and media members in the past. In 2022-23, the members of the media are comprised of many former NBA players who have a vote which makes the award somewhat more credible than if it had been left up to solely the media. One of many goals that each player heading into their NBA career is to be crowned the MVP at the season’s end, clarifying their hard work for that particular season.
Some NBA players go their entire careers without being named MVP, while others win the award very early on in their careers. What about the MVP winners that have won it toward the end of their careers? These are the players that were valuable even in their older days on the court. Today, we will count down the oldest players to ever be named MVP for a season, providing a deep dive into that season and the narratives and production that led to winning the award. The names below shall not be too much of a surprise to our readers, but some may shock you at where they land on the list.
These are the oldest MVP award winners in NBA history.
Note: Players’ ages were calculated by the date that their MVP regular season ended
10. Julius Erving – 31 Years, 37 Days Old
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
1980-81 MVP Stats: 24.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.8 BPG
Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, is one of the most recognizable names in NBA history. With his signature afro and high-flying playstyle, Erving inspired a number of NBA legends that came after him. After being drafted 12th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972, Erving spurned the NBA for the newly-formed ABA, where he spent 5 seasons before heading to the NBA with the 76ers. Erving a superb first 4 seasons in Philadelphia, leading the team deep into the playoffs and competing for NBA championships.
His 5th season in the NBA would be one of the more successful of his career. Erving was named the 1981 MVP with 24.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG while playing elite defense on the other side of the ball. The Sixers would go 62-20 that season, scoring the 4th-most PPG of anyone in the NBA, led by Erving. He would have 38 games in which he scored between 20 and 29 points, as well as 21 games in which he landed in the 30-39-point threshold. The Sixers would lose in 7 games to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Erving averaging 19.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 2.4 BPG for the series.
9. Steve Nash – 31 Years, 72 Days Old
Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
2004-05 MVP Stats: 15.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 11.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
During the 2000s, there was very little challenge to Steve Nash for the title of best point guard in the NBA. Nash was a playmaking savant who led the NBA in assists 3 times in a row from 2005 thru 2007. Nash was the floor general for the most high-powered offense in the NBA, with the Phoenix Suns, who averaged 110.4 PPG as a team for the season, the most in the NBA. It all started with Nash, who elevated his game surrounded by players such as Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.
The Suns would finish 62-20 in Nash’s first MVP season with their run-and-gun offense under Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. Nash was never a scorer, nor did he need to be, and it showed during his days with the Suns. During his MVP season, Nash recorded 40 games with between 10 and 19 points and only 21 games in which he scored over 20. Nash’s impact came down to his distribution in which he had 59 games with over 10 assists in 2004-05 and won his first assists title with 11.5 APG. It was Nash’s first MVP award, but as we all know, he wasn’t done.
8. Hakeem Olajuwon – 31 Years, 93 Days Old
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
1993-94 MVP Stats: 27.3 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 3.7 BPG
Hakeem Olajuwon is known as one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. At a minimum, he is a Top 2 defender in league history and had some of the most elite footwork in the post that the game had ever seen. Olajuwon was one-of-one when it came to the way he impacted the Houston Rockets during the 1990s, which culminated in 1994 with one of the greatest single seasons ever.
Let’s start with his defense. Olajuwon recorded at least 1 block in 77 out of his 80 games played. Furthermore, he recorded 28 games of at least 5 blocks. You read that right. He also recorded 66 games with at least 1 steal, mostly on deflected entry passes into the low post. On offense, he recorded 70 20-point games on the season and 26 games of at least 30 points. He led the Rockets to the NBA Finals as well, winning Finals MVP to add to his MVP and 2nd Defensive Player of the Year award. Olajuwon was just over 31 years old when he did this, making it one of the best MVP seasons you will see on this entire list.
7. Wilt Chamberlain – 31 Years, 207 Days Old
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
1967-68 MVP Stats: 24.3 PPG, 23.8 RPG, 8.6 APG
Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest athletes and most dominant players in NBA history. Chamberlain towered over the competition while having the strength, speed, and skill to be considered far, far ahead of his time. We all know Chamberlain as a scoring and rebounding machine who rewrote the record books during his career with the Warriors, Sixers, and Lakers. In 1968, with the 76ers, Chamberlain added another aspect to his game that propelled him to immortality.
The 1967-68 season came when Chamberlain was coming off his first NBA championship. Not only did he record over 20.0 PPG and 20.0 RPG in 1968, but he also recorded a career-high 8.6 APG as well. He recorded 32 games with at least 10 assists and even had a game in which he recorded over 20 assists. He had 5 40-point games that season as well as 4 50-point games. Chamberlain won the rebounding title as he was used to doing, with 65 games of over 20 rebounds. Without defensive stats recorded, it may be safe to say this was one of the best seasons by any player ever. Wilt and the Sixers went on to lose to the Celtics in 7 games in the Eastern Division Finals.
6. Steve Nash – 32 Years, 72 Days Old
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2005-06 MVP Stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 10.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Steve Nash made his 2nd appearance on our list today with his back-to-back MVP wins in the 2000s. Nash came back in 2006 with an arguably better season than in 2005, but the Suns would lose 8 more games than in 2005 and finish with a 54-28 record. The fast-paced offense was still the highest-scoring in basketball with 108.4 PPG, and they had the 2nd-highest-rated offense that season as well. Nash would lead the Suns to the Western Conference Finals, where they would lose in 6 games to the Dallas Mavericks.
Breaking down Nash’s second MVP season is incredible. Nash scored a career-high 18.8 PPG that season while also being a member of the 50/40/90 club leading the NBA in free throw percentage. He played 79 games and recorded 39 games in which he scored over 20 points. Once again, his playmaking reigned supreme as he took home another assists title. He dished out at least 10 assists in 45 of his 79 appearances and had 10 games with 15 assists or more. Some may disagree with his selection for MVP, but when broken down in this way, it was well deserved.
5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 32 Years, 244 Days Old
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1979-80 MVP Stats: 24.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 3.4 BPG
The next oldest MVP on our list is the man that won the most MVPs in NBA history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The 1980 Lakers were special with the combination of Kareem and a super rookie by the name of Magic Johnson. The Lakers would win 60 games in the season that Kareem won his 6th MVP as well as an NBA championship later on that year. Magic gets a lot of the credit for winning the Finals MVP that season, as he should, but they do not get to that point without Kareem.
The first thing that comes to mind with Kareem is always his scoring. He recorded 67 games that season with at least 20 points and 17 games with at least 30. He had 1 40-point game, but once again, the Showtime Lakers were born in 1980 paving the way for others to get much more involved. Kareem was also known for his defense which was on full display with a blocks title in 1980. Kareem had 77 games with at least 1 block and 51 games with at least 3. He also recorded an astounding 23 games with at least 5 blocks, making him one of the league’s most feared defenders at just over 32 years old.
4. Michael Jordan – 33 Years, 64 Days Old
Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
1995-96 MVP Stats: 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
The next oldest MVP seasons were accomplished by the same 2 players. In 1995-96, Michael Jordan made his return to the NBA for his first full season since retiring in 1993 and coming back in 1995. Jordan led the Bulls to a historic season as the team went 72-10 and cruised through the season’s competition. They then went on to win their 4th NBA title led by the GOAT capping off one of the best seasons in NBA history, probably the best considering they hold the best record by a team that won the NBA championship.
Jordan’s season was remarkable as he went on to average 30.4 PPG, winning the 8th scoring title of his career. Jordan finished the season with 48 games of 30 points or more and 9 games with 40 points or better. What was remarkable in particular about this season was Jordan’s two-way play. He recorded 36 games with at least 3 steals and 32 games with at least 1 block. Did I mention he was a shooting guard? The 4th oldest MVP season in NBA history may just be one of the best in NBA history.
3. Karl Malone – 33 Years, 267 Days Old
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
1996-97 MVP Stats: 27.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Karl Malone’s first MVP award came in his 12th season in the NBA, but I guess that’s what happens when you compete in the same era as the greatest basketball player ever. Malone was as consistent as they come as a scorer, which propelled him to 2nd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list at the time of his retirement (now 3rd) and the most total points in the 90s. Malone and the Utah Jazz would win 64 games in 1996-97 and earn a spot in the NBA Finals, where they would fall to the Bulls in 6 games. Jordan took his MVP snub personally.
Malone’s 1997 MVP season was a power forward masterclass. Malone had 72 games in which he scored at least 20 points, as well as 33 games with at least 30 points and 3 games with 40 or more. He had 43 games of at least 10 rebounds on top of that and 8 games with at least 15. One of the more surprising stats for Malone’s MVP season in 1997 comes from his defense. He recorded 66 games with at least 1 steal and 14 with at least 3 steals. He also recorded 32 games with at least 1 block and 4 games with at least 3 blocks.
2. Michael Jordan – 35 Years, 61 Days Old
Credit: USA TODAY Sports
1997-98 MVP Stats: 28.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
The 2nd-oldest MVP season in MVP history is also Michael Jordan’s 5th MVP award, and the season he won his 6th and final NBA championship. With one more year left to go with a dominant Bulls core that included Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson, Jordan decided it was time to ride off into the sunset in the best way possible. With the numbers he produced, the Bulls went on to win 62 games and once again took down the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals.
Once again in 1998, Jordan ruled over the NBA. He won his 10th and final scoring title with 67 20-point games, 35 30-point games, and 12 40-point games. He had zero games under 10 points as well that season. On defense, Jordan was remarkable once again. With his tough and swarming perimeter defense, Jordan recorded 67 games with at least 1 steal and 20 games with at least 3 steals. He also had 36 games in which he recorded 1 block. Wizards years aside, this was the perfect way for Michael Jordan to walk away from the game as the second-oldest MVP in NBA history.
1. Karl Malone – 35 Years, 280 Days Old
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
1998-99 MVP Stats: 23.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
The 1998-99 season marked the end of an era but also an opportunity for a player to take the reins from Michael Jordan as the best player in the NBA. At nearly 36 years old, Karl Malone staked his claim for that title as he took home the 2nd and final MVP award of his career. Malone would lead the Jazz to 37 wins in a lockout-shortened season, finishing tied with the Spurs for the best record in the NBA. As well all know, it was Tim Duncan who would have the last laugh as he led San Antonio to their first NBA title, taking out Malone and the Jazz in the process.
With the season shortened to 50 games, it left little time for an MVP winner to run away with the race. Out of those 50 games, Malone recorded 39 with at least 20 points and 10 games with at least 30 points. Once again, his defense put him over the top for the award as he had 37 games with at least 1 steal and 8 games with at least 3 steals. In the end, Malone won a tight MVP race with 44 first-place votes to Alonzo Mourning’s 36 and 827 overall points to Mourning’s 772. This tight win for Malone made him the oldest MVP in NBA history, a record that still stands today.
Source: fadeawayworld
