11 Youngest MVP Winners in NBA History

Winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the NBA is the greatest achievement any baller could ever have. While there are no clear criteria of who should win it, the award is open to all the best performers of the season even to the young players.

Truth be told, the new breed of NBA players can outperform even the seasoned ones.

Here are the youngest NBA MVPs

#11 Giannis Antetokounmpo (age 24)

Antetokounmpo is the latest addition to the list of elite basketball players who achieved the highest milestone in the NBA. He was the third-youngest player to become an MVP in 40 years, joining Derrick Rose and LeBron James in the roster. 

#10 Bob Pettit (age 24)

Pettit was a dominant force in the history of the NBA in terms of scoring and rebounding. He has two MVP awards, the first one of which he received in his sophomore year.

#9 Bill Russell (age 24)

With a total of five MVP trophies, Russell was one of the most successful players in the NBA sans a championship trophy. He was a rebounding leader in his heydays. In one of the games, he grabbed a total of 49 boards.

#8 Lew Alcindor (age 24)

Alcindor is a familiar face in the NBA; he goes by the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar now. He has a record of six MVP awards from the first one he earned in the 1970-71 season. The same season wherein the Milwaukee Bucks won the championship.

#7 Dave Cowens (age 24)

Cowens won the Rookie of the Year award, and after two years, both the league and All-Star Game MVP awards. He was also one of the reasons why the Boston Celtics received an NBA-best record of 68-14. 

#6 Moses Malone (age 24)

Malone was NBA’s best player in 1979, but it was in 1981 when he had his first finals, with the House Rockets. He has a total of three MVP awards.

#5 LeBron James (age 24)

James won his first MVP award in the same year the Cleveland Cavaliers led the major categories, i.e., points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. He was the tenth player to win the award back-to-back (2012 and 2013).

#4 Wes Unseld (age 23)

Unseld held the NBA record of winning the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in a single season—the second player to do so. Although he was undersized for a center, standing at 6’7”, he had the strength to create rebounds that matter. He earned the moniker Round Mound of Rebound because of this. 

#3 Bob McAdoo (age 23)

McAdoo was an underrated big man, playing for at least seven teams throughout his career. He won the NBA MVP award in the 1974-75 season. 

#2 Wilt Chamberlain (age 23)

Chamberlain was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards within the same season. He also holds the records for the highest rookie averages that no other MVP players gained including 37.6 points and 27 rebounds. He went on to win three more MVP awards. 

#1 Derrick Rose (age 22)

Rose won the MVP award two years after winning his Rookie of the Year award. He was the second Chicago Bulls player to win the MVP award during his first few seasons in the NBA; Michael Jordan was the first Bulls player to achieve this milestone.

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