Basketball is a game that tends to favor the young and athletic, but veteran experience and knowhow can undoubtedly hold its own. Case in point: 13 NBAers have won the league’s Most Valuable Player award after their 30th birthday.
Expanding further, 27 MVP winners in NBA history took home the prestigious honor at age 28 or later. They hold the distinction of being the oldest MVPs of all time. At PointAfter, we ranked those 27 not by age, but by how efficient their campaign was compared to the others. Specifically, we accounted for the following factors:
-Win Shares: An estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player.
-Seasonal Win Share Rank: How a given MVP ranked in the win share category relative to his peers during the same season. If he led the league, chances are he was the most deserving. If not, that player becomes more difficult to defend.
-Generic Season Stats: Your typical points, rebounds and assists per game numbers in addition to shooting percentages, which were considered loosely compared to win shares and win share rank.
So which “old guy” MVP comes out on top?
#27. Bob Cousy (1956-57)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 8.8 (T-No. 7)
Stats: 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 37.8/N/A/82.1 shooting splits
#26. Steve Nash (2004-05)
Age: 30
Win Shares (Season Rank): 10.9 (No. 15)
Stats: 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 50.2/43.1/88.7 shooting splits
#25. Steve Nash (2005-06)
Age: 31
Win Shares (Season Rank): 12.4 (No. 10)
Stats: 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 51.2/43.9/92.1 shooting splits
#24. Bill Russell (1962-63)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 13.5 (No. 7)
Stats: 16.8 points, 23.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 43.2/N/A/55.5 shooting splits
#23. Kobe Bryant (2007-08)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 13.8 (No. 4)
Stats: 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 45.9/36.1/84.0 shooting splits
#22. Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94)
Age: 31
Win Shares (Season Rank): 14.3 (No. 3)
Stats: 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 52.8/42.1/71.6 shooting splits
#21. Charles Barkley (1992-93)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 14.4 (No. 4)
Stats: 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 52.0/30.5/76.5 shooting splits
#20. Julius Erving (1980-81)
Age: 30
Win Shares (Season Rank): 13.8 (No. 2)
Stats: 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 52.1/22.2/78.7 shooting splits
#19. Karl Malone (1998-99)
Age: 35
Win Shares (Season Rank): 9.6* (No. 1)
Stats: 23.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 49.3/.000/78.8 shooting splits
*The 1998-99 season was shortened by a lockout, hence why Malone’s win shares are lower than others.
#18. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1979-80)
Age: 32
Win Shares (Season Rank): 14.8 (No. 1)
Stats: 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 60.4/.000/76.5 shooting splits
#17. Michael Jordan (1997-98)
Age: 34
Win Shares (Season Rank): 15.8 (No. 2)
Stats: 28.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 46.5/23.8/78.4 shooting splits
#16. Larry Bird (1985-86)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 15.8 (No. 1)
Stats: 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 49.6/42.3/89.6 shooting splits
#15. Larry Bird (1984-85)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 15.7 (No. 1)
Stats: 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 52.2/42.7/88.2 shooting splits
#14. Bill Russell (1964-65)
Age: 30
Win Shares (Season Rank): 16.9 (No. 2)
Stats: 14.1 points, 24.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 43.8/N/A/57.3 shooting splits
#13. Magic Johnson (1989-90)
Age: 30
Win Shares (Season Rank): 16.5 (No. 3)
Stats: 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 48.0/38.4/89.0 shooting splits
#12. Karl Malone (1996-97)
Age: 33
Win Shares (Season Rank): 16.7 (No. 2)
Stats: 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 55.0/.000/75.5 shooting splits
#11. Dirk Nowitzki (2006-07)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 16.3 (No. 1)
Stats: 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 50.2/41.6/90.4 shooting splits
#10. Magic Johnson (1988-89)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 16.1 (T-No. 2)
Stats: 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 50.9/31.4/91.1 shooting splits
#9. David Robinson (1994-95)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 17.5 (No. 1)
Stats: 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 53.0/30.0/77.4 shooting splits
#8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 17.0 (No. 1)
Stats: 27.7 points, 16.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 52.9/N/A/70.3 shooting splits
#7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1976-77)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 17.8 (No. 1)
Stats: 26.2 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 57.9/N/A/70.1 shooting splits
#6. Michael Jordan (1991-92)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 17.7 (No. 1)
Stats: 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 51.9/27.0/83.2 shooting splits
#5. LeBron James (2012-13)
Age: 28
Win Shares (Season Rank): 19.3 (No. 1)
Stats: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 56.5/40.6/75.3 shooting splits
#4. Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68)
Age: 31
Win Shares (Season Rank): 20.4 (No. 1)
Stats: 24.3 points, 23.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 59.5/N/A/38.0 shooting splits
#3. Michael Jordan (1995-96)
Age: 32
Win Shares (Season Rank): 20.4 (No. 1)
Stats: 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 49.5/42.7/83.4 shooting splits
#2. Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66)
Age: 29
Win Shares (Season Rank): 21.4 (No. 1)
Stats: 33.5 points, 24.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 54.0/N/A/51.3 shooting splits
#1. Wilt Chamberlain (1966-67)
Age: 30
Win Shares (Season Rank): 21.9 (No. 1)
Stats: 24.1 points, 24.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 68.3/N/A/44.1 shooting splits
Read More: Ranking the Best NBA Finals MVPs of All Time