Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and 11 more NBA stars who never received a single first-place MVP vote

But just like Davis is considered one of the best defenders ever without winning Defensive Player of the Year once, he's also one of the best NBA players ever without ever being considered the best player in the league by anybody. Davis has just one Top 3 MVP finish in his career, which came in 2017-18, as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, when he put up 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. Outside of that, Davis has just one other Top 5 finish in the prestigious award's voting.

This tier of players is actually fascinating, in that Davis is a surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and even so, his career might be seen as just a tad bit disappointing in that he wasn't able to become the best player on a championship team, which many thought would be possible when he came out of college, considering he accomplished just that at Kentucky. He never even got a single first-place MVP vote.

Davis never becoming the guy is kind of disappointing, and can be attributed not only to his trouble staying healthy throughout his career, but also to his lack of developing a reliable three-point shot. His playmaking also left a lot to be desired for a potential No. 1 option, which certainly brought him down a level.

Even so, Davis could draw fouls relatively well, gained strength upon getting to the NBA, was a fantastic, explosive finisher around the basket, was a game-changer on the defensive end and had a strong face-up game from the midrange. All he lacked was even a mediocre three-point shot. We think if he had ever developed that outside shot, he had MVP-level skills everywhere else, besides with his playmaking.

James Worthy

James Worthy #42, Small Forward and Power Forward for the Los Angeles Lakers inbounds the basketball under the challenge of Chris Mullin #17, Point Guard and Shooting Guard for the Golden State Warriors during their NBA Pacific Division basketball game on 18th November 1990 at the Great Western Forum arena in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Los Angeles Lakers won the game 115 - 93. (Photo by Ken Levine/Allsport/Getty Images)

Best MVP voting finish: 12th (1986)

Lakers legend James Worthy was the vital third piece for the Showtime Lakers dynasty of the '80s, crushing foes in transition, as well as with his face-up skills in the halfcourt, thanks to his solid midrange jumper, quick first step and potent driving ability.

Worthy earned All-Star honors every season from 1985-86 through 1991-92, also making two All-NBA teams during that stretch, both as a 3rd Teamer, once in '90 and then again in '91. He even won Finals MVP honors in 1988, no small feat considering he shared the floor with the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, two of the NBA's 10 best players ever. In that championship series, a historic seven-game victory for L.A. over the Detroit Pistons, Worthy came up huge, averaging 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game on 49.2 percent shooting.

Worthy is one of just five players in league history to win Finals MVP but never finish Top 10 in regular-season MVP voting, joining Jaylen Brown (for now), Andre Iguodala, Jo Jo White and Cedric Maxwell on the list, making him an excellent candidate for recognition in this exercise.

Worthy was consistently one of the best players in the NBA during his prime, but he was never close to being an MVP candidate. Maybe, however, he would have gotten more love in that regard if he didn't have to share so much of the ball with two other all-timers in Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. Playing on a less talented team, Worthy may have been able to show off his ahead-of-their-time skills as a pull-up shooter and driver, as a sort of small-ball 4, before the position became as popular and important as it is today.

Even so, Worthy's resume is extremely impressive, and he rightfully entered the Naismith Hall of Fame with the 2003 class.

Paul Pierce

BOSTON - JUNE 17: Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics celebrates with the NBA Finals MVP trophy after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Six of the 2008 NBA Finals on June 17, 2008 at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Best MVP voting finish: 7th (2009)

A Top 25 scorer in NBA history (23rd, to be exact), Paul Pierce was a fierce bucket-getter in his prime, a player with great size on the wing who could score efficiently from all three levels, thanks to his outside shooting, his pull-up midrange game and his finishing around the basket. Pierce also had slippery ball-handling skills, powered by a smooth crossover, and could hit shots over the toughest of defending.

Pierce parlayed those skills into 10 All-Star appearances, four All-NBA Teams (once a 2nd Teamer) and even a Finals MVP trophy in 2008 when the Big 3 Boston Celtics won the NBA championship that year. In the championship series that year, Pierce put up 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists, to go with 1.2 steals on 39.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Even so, Pierce, perhaps due to fitness-related issues, never maintained that super elite form he showed in the '08 Finals for an entire season, so although he was a great player - a Top 15 to 20 player in the league for many years, in fact - he was never quite in that top rung.

Regardless, Pierce was an all-time great, and his resume clears that of most others in NBA history. We have him nearly as a Top 50 player ever, and with good reason.

Damian Lillard

PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 23: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers hits a shot over Dennis Schroder #17 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game Five of the Western Conference quarterfinals during the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 23, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won 118-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Best MVP voting finishes: 4th (2018), 6th (2019), 7th (2021), 8th (2016), 8th (2020)

Star lead guard Damian Lillard has more appearances on MVP ballots in his career than Anthony Davis, a shocking fact but one that reinforces just what kind of player the former Weber State standout was in his prime. (For all we know, his prime might not be over, but an Achilles injury at his age is tough to come back from. The oldest player in league history to tear their Achilles and make another All-Star appearance after was Anthony Mason, and he was 32. Lillard will be 36 by next season.)

Lillard even finished fourth place in the 2017-18 MVP vote, a campaign that saw him put up 26.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. Still, the explosive floor general surprisingly never got a single first-place MVP vote, even despite his bombastic play style being perfect for the three-point era that began to blossom in the mid-2010s. Perhaps if Lillard had spent his prime in the Eastern Conference, he would have gotten more MVP love, as his teams would have had less of a tough time securing wins in the weaker conference.

Instead, Lillard had to battle it out nightly with the likes of Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, all MVP winners who overshadowed the Blazers star to an extent. The fact that Lillard has the resume he does, one with nine All-Stars on it, as well as seven All-NBAs (even once as a 1st Teamer), while facing that competition nightly, just shows the level of player he was.

Reggie Miller

Indiana Pacer guard Reggie Miller (L) heads towards the basket as Charlotte Hornet guard Jamal Mashburn defends 09 December 2000 during first quarter play at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. AFP PHOTO/John Ruthroff (Photo by JOHN RUTHROFF / AFP) (Photo by JOHN RUTHROFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Best MVP voting finish: 13th (2000)

Not only did Reggie Miller, one of the greatest shooters ever, never get a first-place MVP vote, but he never even finished Top 12 in the vote, which is downright surprising. Miller also only has five All-Star appearances under his belt, and just three All-NBAs, all as a 3rd Teamer.

Even so, we have Miller ranked as a Top 55 player in league history, in large part due to his shooting.

Prior to the 21st century and its three-point obsession, Miller was seen as the best shooter ever, hitting 39.5 percent of his 6,486 career attempts from three, and ranking seventh all-time in three-pointers made at 2,560. Miller was also hugely impactful as a player, as his Indiana Pacers made the playoffs 15 years out of the 18 that Miller donned their colors.

Miller was never an MVP candidate. He was never even the best 2-guard in the league. But he was still one of the top players of his era, making him perfect to include in this exercise.

Kevin McHale

Unknown date; Indianapolis, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics forward (32) Kevin McHale in action against the Indiana Pacers at Market Square Arena. Mandatory Credit: Photo by USA TODAY Sports

Best MVP voting finish: 4th (1987)

Boston Celtics legend Kevin McHale was always seen as the sidekick in Boston to one Larry Bird, so if anything, it's impressive that he has a Top 4 MVP finish under his belt while spending over half of his career as a Sixth Man.

Had McHale spent his career on a different team, one that focused on his immense skills as a post-up scorer and been built around him, his standing in NBA history might look a lot different, as he might have garnered a first-place MVP vote or two in his career.

Up until '85, for the first six seasons of his career, McHale primarily came off the bench. Then, in 1986-87, just his second season as a full-time starter, McHale's output went nuclear, as the crafty forward put up 26.1 points per game (No. 6 in the league that year), to go with 9.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 blocks per game on a league-leading 60.4 shooting percentage. That leads us to wonder what his career numbers might look like had he become a full-time starter earlier in his career, or if he had played on a team without one of the best scorers ever on it.

Regardless, if anything, McHale is underrated historically, but the fact he never got a first-place MVP vote isn't that surprising, as he was always seen as more of a supporting player in Boston.

Ray Allen

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 03: Ray Allen #34 of the Miami Heat reacts in the first half against the Indiana Pacers during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AmericanAirlines Arena on June 3, 2013 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Best MVP voting finish: 9th (2005)

If Miller wasn't the best pre-Curry shooter in league history, then that distinction would belong to Ray Allen, as Allen ranks third all-time in three-pointers made, trailing only Curry and Harden, with 7,429.

Allen was one of the better 2-guards of his era, making 10 All-Star appearances and two All-NBAs, once as a 2nd Teamer and once as a 3rd Teamer. And not only did he make a metric ton of threes in his career, he also was absurdly clutch, hitting arguably the craziest shot in NBA history in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, along with a slew of other important triples.

He also won two championships with two different teams, once as a more focal point and the second as a role player, showing his willingness to adapt to his role.

Even so, Allen was never even the best 2-guard in his era, so he was never on that best-player-in-the-league level, despite how great of a shooter and overall scorer he was. Hence, his zero career Top 10 finishes on MVP ballots.

Pau Gasol

Dec 6, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol (16) looks to pass the ball from the floor against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Spanish big man Pau Gasol was as steady an All-Star as they come for many years, as with him on your team, you knew you could rely on 18 points and around 10 rebounds every night, with some blocked shots, some dunks and some emphatic yells after his positive plays.

Gasol made six All-Star appearances in his career, as well as two 2nd Team All-NBAs and two 3rd Team All-NBAs during his time in the league. Gasol was so productive that we have him ranked as the sixth-best international player in NBA history.

That makes it hard to explain why Gasol never got a single MVP vote in his career. For a player to never get a first-place MVP vote is somewhat more understandable, as evidenced by this list. Many all-time players never got a first-place MVP vote. But for Gasol to have never gotten a single MVP vote at all is hard to imagine, and perhaps could be attributed to the lack of love European players used to get, prior to their NBA takeover over recent years.

Whatever the case may be, Gasol had a monstrous time in the NBA, one headlined by winning back-to-back titles as Kobe Bryant's sidekick in Los Angeles, so MVP love or not, the native of Barcelona had one of the best NBA careers ever.

Chris Bosh

Feb 3, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) makes a jump shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Heat defeat the Mavericks 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Best MVP voting finish: 7th (2007)

Much like Gasol, Chris Bosh was an excellent team-first big man who managed to go from being a superstar on his own team to being a top-notch sidekick when he joined a more talented team with championship aspirations. In Bosh's case, he left the Toronto Raptors to join the Miami Heat, where he went from being top dog to the third piece in Miami's Big 3.

Bosh did get some MVP love during his time in Toronto, which makes sense considering he had a five-year stretch there where he averaged 22.8 points and 9.9 rebounds on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor. During that span, Bosh made five All-Star teams and one 2nd Team All-NBA.

However, once he went to Miami, Bosh would never secure another MVP vote again, as he was vastly overshadowed by his teammates, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Bosh looked like he could potentially be on his way back to that Toronto level and perhaps even earn more MVP votes when James left Miami, but unfortunately, blood clots would end his career far too early.

Making that particularly unfortunate is the fact that Bosh's floor-spacing game would have acclimated even more wonderfully to the modern three-point centric era of today. Bosh was launching a career-high 3.8 threes in 2014-15, his second-to-last season in the NBA, and hitting them at a very solid 37.5 percent rate.

Dennis Rodman

Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman(C) fights for a rebound with Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley(R) and forward Dennis Scott (L) during the fourth quarter, 29 December, at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Mavericks 111-105, and Rodman pulled down 27 rebounds. AFP PHOTO Vincent Laforet (Photo by VINCENT LAFORET / AFP) (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)

Best MVP voting finish: 10th (1992)

The Worm Dennis Rodman shockingly has as many seasons in which he earned MVP votes as Anthony Davis, and more than the likes of Miller and Allen, something that many probably don't realize.

Rodman ranks in the Top 25 all-time in total rebounds, and that number would be higher had he joined the NBA before turning 25. He does own the record for the five-highest single-season rebounding averages in the three-point era, including in '92 when he secured an astounding 18.7 boards per game. That was the season that saw Rodman finish 10th in the MVP vote, as he further chipped in 9.8 points, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocks per game for a 48-34 Detroit Pistons team.

Rodman is best remembered for his eccentric haircuts, tattoos, piercings, PTO requests and for being the third piece in Michael Jordan's second threepeat in Chicago, but he was an all-timer in his own right thanks to his otherworldly rebounding and abilities as a switch and low-post defender. It makes sense that he never got a first-place MVP vote, as his game was much more focused on rebounding, defending and pestering than it was on scoring, a prerequisite to win MVP, but the fact he has as many seasons with MVP votes as he does is a testament to his level as a player.

Kyrie Irving

Dec 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns forward Josh Okogie (2) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the best sidekicks in NBA history, it's surprising that Kyrie Irving never got a single MVP vote, considering his prime saw him put up 25.6 points and 5.7 assists on 40.1 percent shooting from three over a nine-year stretch. To put up numbers like that and not get a single MVP vote, when Dennis freaking Rodman, who averaged 7.3 points for his career, had four seasons in which he got MVP votes, is fishy.

But perhaps Irving's off-court stuff, like when he said he believed the Earth was flat, for example, got in the way of him getting the recognition he deserved as a player. We're not saying he deserved first-place MVP votes or to win the award outright, but Irving certainly deserved to get some sort of MVP love throughout his career, solely based on his numbers and the fact that he played for various contenders in his prime.

Vince Carter

13 Feb 2000: Vince Carter #15 of the Toronto Raptors jumps during the NBA Allstar Game Slam Dunk Contest at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport

Best MVP voting finish: 10th (2000)

The explosive Vince Carter ending up on this list isn't all that surprising. If anything, it goes to show how talented he was as a player that his career could be seen as disappointing, and yet, he still got MVP votes four separate times.

Carter's issues stemmed from a supposed lack of that killer instinct. Many point to his choosing to attend his college graduation from UNC on the same day that his team, the Raptors, had a do-or-die Game 7 showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, as a prime example of that. Carter attended the graduation ceremony, left early, made it back in time for the game, and proceeded to shoot six-for-18 from the floor in what wound up being an 88-87 season-ending loss for Toronto.

Even so, Carter is one of the 10-best shooting guards ever in the NBA, according to us, and a rightful Hall-of-Famer. But he had the athleticism, size and tough-shot-making ability to be more than that.

Alex English

1989-1990: Guard Alex English of the Denver Nuggets moves the ball during a game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. Mandatory Credit: Tim DeFrisco /Allsport Mandatory Credit: Tim DeFrisco /Allsport

Best MVP voting finishes: 6th (1983)

Another Top 25 scorer in NBA history, former Nuggets star Alex English was a monster in the '80s, leading the league in scoring in 1982-83 at 28.4 points per game, while chipping in 7.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks nightly on 51.6 percent shooting from the floor. English and David Robinson are the only players in league history to put up a 28/7/4 stat line while also posting block and steals averages at 1.4-plus. Had English's Nuggets gone better than 45-37 that season, English undoubtedly would have earned first-place MVP votes that year. Instead, his numbers were seen perhaps as a bit empty.

Still, Enligh was a player ahead of his time, a do-everything forward capable of scoring at an elite rate, while also creating, rebounding and causing havoc defensively. If anything, it's surprising he never got a single first-place MVP vote, considering how jaw-dropping his individual numbers were. It's the lack of winning that did in English's yearly MVP candidacy.

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: NBA legends who never received an MVP vote