In 2005 and 2006, Steve Nash won back-to-back NBA MVP awards. The only other players to win that award in consecutive seasons are Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Stephen Curry; Nash is in good company. Some felt that there were more deserving winners in both 2005 and 2006, however. Shaquille O’Neal certainly feels that he was more deserving than Nash, and it still bothers him. From Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated:
“LeBron [James] and myself are similar,” O’Neal told SI.com earlier this month in Atlanta. “We could be MVP every year. But [the voters] don’t give it every year and he’s already got four. [I should have won] three, easily. Kobe should have won three, too. [I should have won] the two that Steve Nash got over me. It pisses me off. [Nash] knows.”
In 2005, O’Neal averaged 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on a 59-win team. Nash averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 assists on a 62-win team. It’s not exactly clear-cut who should have won; both were deserving candidates. O’Neal certainly has the right to be a bit miffed about the result, though.
In 2005-06, many felt that Bryant was most deserving. He averaged an absurd 35.4 points per game, to Nash’s 18.8 points (plus 10.5 assists). Nash’s Suns did win nine more games than Bryant’s Lakers, though, which is always an important factor.
