NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 05: NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson speaks during the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Player of the Year press conference prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

18 of 26

NBA Logo (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect: 9. Paul Arizin 1956-57

Clearly, winning was more of an afterthought when it came down to the first-ever NBA MVP winner. During the 1956-57 season, Bob Pettit was crowned the league’s first winner. His numbers overall were terrific, he averaged 25.7 points, 16.7 rebounds and led the league with 13.8 win shares.

In totality, there was no denying his impact but there was only one problem, his St. Louis Hawks lost…a lot. On the year, the Hawks finished with a 33-39 record. Pettit’s team by far won the least amount of games of any of the top five candidates that season. Instead of rewarding someone with gaudy stats but subpar team play, MVP voters should have looked in the direction of small forward Paul Arizin. Not only did he put up impressive numbers of his own in 24.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, but his Philadelphia Warriors led the western division with 45 wins.

The win/loss column can be a bit overhyped when it comes to choosing the league MVP but a priority has to be placed on at least having a winning record. Arizin may have been snubbed for the award but he made up for it by taking home the NBA championship. As for Pettit, he sat on the sidelines as his team made an unsurprisingly early exit.