Bill Kostroun/AP
- Only one player can win NBA MVP each season, meaning plenty of deserving players come up short of the prestigious award.
- Our list of best players to never win it includes Jerry West, Isiah Thomas, Patrick Ewing, Dwyane Wade, and more.
The NBA's Most Valuable Player award rewards the best player each NBA season.
There can be debates over the interpretation over the award, and historically, there have been some winners that have later been questioned. But by and large, the history of the award reflects the most dominant players over that stretch.
The one problem is there can only be one MVP. Each year, there are plenty of players deserving of MVP, and one player edges them out due to some minor advantage.
We took a look back at some of the most dominant players in league history, who although deserving, never took home MVP. We excluded players currently in their prime who have a shot at winning the award in the coming years.