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) /

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Michael Jordan (L) and Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Photo credit should read KARL MATHIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect: 22. Michael Jordan, 1988-89

Magic Johnson was the ultimate ball distributor. He seemingly always hit teammates at the perfect time down the court. The ball would fall right into their bread basket and all they needed to do most of the time was lay the ball in.

The 1988-89 season was much of the same. Johnson ranked second in the league with 12.8 assists a night and routinely scored over 20 points. With averages of 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 12.8 assists, Johnson was worthy of winning the MVP award. But, so was Michael Jordan.

Although the Chicago Bulls guard hadn’t yet developed into the championship level player he would ultimately become, he was still the best player in the league.

During this year, in particular, Jordan shut down all the criticism that pointed to his scoring average as his only contributions on the court. Jordan put together an all-around dominant season consisting of 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 2.9 steals on 53.8 percent from the field. He dunked on defenders, hit buzzer-beaters, made flashy passes and played hellacious defense.

The Lakers went on to have 57 wins as opposed to the 47 by the Jordan-led Bulls. Still, considering Jordan’s edge on Johnson in virtually every major statistical category outside of assist, he should have been given the hardware at the end of the regular season.