NBA: Ranking every MVP winner in league history

SANTA MONICA, CA - JUNE 25: James Harden, winner of the 2017-2018 MVP award, poses with his mom Monja Willis in the backstage photo room during the 2018 NBA Awards at Barker Hangar on June 25, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) /

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Wes Unseld (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

NBA: Ranking every MVP winner in league history: 35. Wes Unseld

Stats:

10.8 points
14.0 rebounds

Accomplishments:

5 time All-Star
1 time MVP
1 time NBA champ
1 time Finals MVP

Wes Unseld kicks off our list for obvious reasons. The 1968-69 NBA MVP didn’t have a glittering NBA career.

Unlike just about every other name on this list, Unseld wasn’t much of a scorer, averaging just 10.8 points. He was so underwhelming in fact, that his career average is the 12th lowest amongst all Hall of Famers. His 14 rebounds per game, however, rank 8th amongst his Hall of Fame peers.

Crashing the glass is where Unseld made his name. He wasn’t much of a scorer and he didn’t rise above the rim to block shots out of the air, averaging only 0.6 for his career. When we broke down his overall game, Unseld wasn’t stellar anywhere. Yet, he still managed to rack up the awards. He was a five-time All-Star, won an NBA title, was named Finals MVP and took home the regular-season MVP award in his first year in the league, he also, needless to say, won Rookie of the Year.

Unseld essentially made his mark as an all-out hustle guy. He dove for loose balls and competed every minute that he was out on the floor. In today’s game, his inability to score would leave him glued to the bench but during the 1970s, players such as Unseld were glorified.