By To receive the title of Most Valuable Award (MVP) is a great achievement any player could ever dream of. While there aren’t any exact standards of who deserves the title, the honor is available to all the best players or performers of the season, also including the young players.
However, since MVP is the apex of individual accomplishment in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and to achieve it the player has to exhibit more than basic ability and good stats. They must also know how to keep up with the team, lead them, and contribute greatly to winning despite the many odds piled against them. It counts on a narrative and not just anything that is a measurable metric.
So when a player does the unthinkable, he has the right to earn praise and appreciation. It’s also always nice and amazing to see a new MVP each year and some players were good enough to be able to achieve this prestigious honor at a very young age.
Here are the 7 youngest NBA MVP award winners of all time.
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Derrick Rose
Full Name: Derrick Martell Rose
Born: October 4, 1988 (age 34)
Nationality: American
Position: Point guard
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Age: 22 years old
Year Won: 2011
Derrick Rose is an American pro basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2009, Rose was declared the NBA Rookie of the Year and in 2011, he became the youngest basketball player to ever win an NBA MVP at the age of 22.
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Wes Unseld
Full Name: Westley Sissel Unseld Sr.
Born: March 14, 1946
Died: June 2, 2020 (aged 74)
Nationality: American
Position: Center
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Age: 22 years old
Year Won: 1969
Wes Unseld was an American pro basketball player who played his whole National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets.
During his debut year in the NBA, the six-foot-seven was declared the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Rookie of the Year in 1969.
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Moses Malone
Full Name: Moses Eugene Malone
Born: March 23, 1955
Died: September 13, 2015 (aged 60)
Nationality: American
Position: Center
Height: 6 ft 10 in
Age: 23 years old
Year Won: 1979
Moses Malone was an American pro basketball player who spent his whole career in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 to 1995. Malone is a three-time winner of NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1979, 1982, and 1983 respectively. He won his first NBA MVP at the age of 23 making him the third youngest basketball player to win the award in the history of the NBA.
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Bob McAdoo
Full Name: Robert Allen McAdoo Jr.
Born: September 25, 1951 (age 71)
Nationality: American
Position: Center
Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Age Won: 23 years old
Year Won: 1975
Bob McAdoo is an American retired pro basketball player who spent 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a five-time NBA All-Star and won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Full name: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Born: April 16, 1947 (age 75)
Nationality: American
Position: Center
Height: 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Age: 23 years old
Year Won: 1971
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is undoubtedly one of the greatest basketball players of all time. The former center won his first NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1971 followed by five more wins of the same honor in 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, and 1980. During his career was a record nineteen-time NBA All-Star, a fifteen-time All-NBA Team member, and an eleven-time NBA All-Defensive Team member to name a few of his accomplishments.
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Wilt Chamberlain
Full Name: Wilton Norman Chamberlain
Born: August 21, 1936
Died: October 12, 1999
Nationality: American
Position: Center
Height: 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Age: 23 years old
Year Won: 1960
Wilt Chamberlain was an American pro basketball player who played as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons and is highly considered one of the greatest basketball players in the game’s history. He holds numerous NBA records and was a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1960, 1966, 1967, and 1968. He was also a two-time NBA champ in 1967 and 1972.
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Bill Russell
Full Name: William Felton Russell
Born: February 12, 1934
Died: July 31, 2022 (aged 88)
Nationality: American
Position: Center
Height: 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Age: 23 years old
Year Won: 1958
Bill Russell was an American pro basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a center from 1956 to 1969. He was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a twelve-time NBA All-Star making him one of the most iconic players in NBA history.
