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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Willis Reed (Photo By Ross Lewis/Getty Images) /

NBA: Ranking every MVP winner in league history: 29. Willis Reed

Stats:

18.7 points
12.9 rebounds

Accomplishments:

7 time All-Star
5 time All-NBA
2 time NBA champ
1 time MVP

Much like the first few names on this list, Willis Reed and his current Hall of Fame standing is a questionable one. Still, for the first years of his career, Reed was a very good player.

Drafted by the New York Knicks during the 1964 NBA Draft, Reed hit the ground running. The big lumbering center averaged 19.5 points and 14.7 rebounds a game. Unlike the Knicks of today who’ve become allergic to winning titles, it didn’t take long for Reed to start bringing home the hardware.

During the 1969-70 season, Reed placed the franchise on his back and brought the city its first-ever NBA title. He unsurprisingly won Finals MVP and sat back and enjoyed all of the glory that came with it. Reed was the man in New York, he won the 1970 regular season MVP and was a seven-time All-Star. His overall scoring average of 18.7 wasn’t that impressive in the grand scheme of things as it ranks 100th all-time but still, after winning another title in 1973, Reed officially booked his trip to the Hall of Fame.

In one of the most iconic moments in NBA history, Reed limped his way out onto the court after suffering a torn thigh muscle in Game 6. He may have gone on to score only four points, but every Knick player credits Reed for his toughness and willingness to put it all on the line when he could barely walk.