NBA players who have won back-to-back MVP awards
Winning the NBA MVP award is the most prestigious honor a player can receive for his regular-season level. To win the NBA MVP award is a great achievement for any NBA athlete, and to win it consecutively is reserved for a few superstars. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the reigning two-time MVP and the most recent player to win the prize in back-to-back seasons.
Giannis became the 12th player in NBA history to win the MVP in consecutive seasons when he received the award at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. In this piece, we will give you the full list of back-to-back winners of the NBA MVP.
Every back to back NBA MVP winner in league history
In the 2020-21 NBA season, Antetokounmpo might be making a quiet case for his third consecutive NBA MVP award in the 2020-21 NBA season, but there is still a long way to go before the season ends. If he manages to achieve that, he will enter an even more exclusive list.
For now, here is every back-to-back winner of the NBA MVP award, from the most recent one to the first player ever to do it.
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 2018-19 and 2019-20 NBA MVP
Number 34 for the Milwaukee Bucks has made tremendous progress since being drafted in 2013. Giannis Antetokounmpo has developed into one of the best players in the league and was named MVP in each of the last two campaigns.
The Greek superstar won his first NBA MVP after averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game with a field-goal percentage of 58% in the 2018-19 season.
The following season, Antetokounmpo improved his numbers, averaging 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 55% shooting from the field.
Antetokounmpo also finished second in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2019, and then became the fifth player to win both, MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Stephen Curry - 2014-15 and 2015-16 NBA MVP
The Golden State Warriors' rise to the top coincided with Stephen Curry's ascension to the pinnacle of basketball. Before he led the franchise to their first NBA title in 40 years back in 2015, he was named MVP of the league for the 2014-15 season.
Curry then led the Warriors to a record-breaking 73-9 regular-season and took home his second consecutive NBA MVP award. His 2015-16 MVP win was the first unanimous choice in NBA history.
In the 2014-15 season, Curry averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds in just 32.7 minutes per game (the second-lowest MPG average in an MVP season).
The following season, Curry won the scoring title with 30.1 points per game and averaged 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also joined the 50/40/90 club with a shooting split of 50/45/91 and led the league in steals per game.
LeBron James - Two streaks of back-to-back NBA MVP awards
'The King' LeBron James has won four NBA MVPs in his illustrious career. James is one the greatest player in NBA history and has achieved many incredible feats in his 18-year journey in the league.
James won the MVP award four times in a span of five years (the second player ever to do it, after Bill Russell).
James won his first two MVPs with the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. He then won consecutive MVPs in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat and became the second player to win back-to-back MVP awards with two different teams after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did it with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Steve Nash - 2004-05 and 2005-06 NBA MVP
Current Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash won two consecutive NBA MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns.
Though some might think Nash did not earn his two MVP trophies, he earned it in the eyes of the voters and was a dynamic guard in a great offense.
Nash averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 assists in his first MVP-winning season and followed it up with 18.8 points, 10.5 assists per game and shooting splits of 51/44/92 to win his second straight MVP.