The five most surprising FMVPs in history commented on: Average 9 points per game, and you can win the FMVP even if you lose

As the 2025 NBA playoffs are coming to an end, a new championship team will be born in the NBA soon. In the current FMVP forecast, except for stars like Alexander and Halliburton, the most surprising thing is Caruso, who ranks third. Although everyone knows that Caruso is an excellent role player, his performance in the finals is beyond many people's expectations. For example, the G2 Thunder relied on him to score 20 points on 6 of 11 shots to successfully tie the big score. However, considering Alexander's stable performance, even if the Thunder really wins the championship, it is likely that Caruso will still find it difficult to really win the FMVP.

However, in the history of the NBA, there are still many FMVP winners that are not expected. Therefore, recently, the US media also took stock of the most unexpected FMVP winners in NBA history. Let’s take a look together!

1.WesAnseld

Many fans don't know about Unseld. After all, he retired as early as 1981, but it has to be said that he was indeed one of the best centers in the league at his peak. He has been selected for the All-Star many times in his career and was selected for the All-Team in his rookie season. That year, he averaged 13.8 points, 18.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. At the same time, he also won the regular season MVP, so it is not an exaggeration to say that he was at his peak when he debuted. The Bullets (the predecessor of the Wizards) who have been building the team around Unseld, finally got their wish in 1978. His teammate Hayes was shining in the finals this year, and averaged 20.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2 blocks per game in the series. However, the FMVP in the last year was still awarded to Unseld. He averaged 9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. From this point of view, Hayes was indeed a little unfair. After all, the difference in data between the two is still very large.

2. Iguodala

Iguodala joined the Warriors in 2013, and this decision also changed the direction of his career. He played in this team that he had never played before, because the team frequently played in the fifth small team, and he often ended up at the inside. Although Iguodala's data has declined in the Warriors, he is still very important to the team. It can be said that he is the key factor in the rise of the Warriors. After he joined, the Warriors quickly ushered in transformation. This is a good proof.

Iguodala successfully helped the Warriors win the championship in 2015, especially in the finals that year, he played a miraculous role. Since G4 Cole set Iguodala in the finals, they have completely changed the momentum of the series, and they eventually completed the reversal when they were 1-2 behind. Although Iguodala averaged only 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the entire series, Iguodala scored 22 points, 8 rebounds, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, which also led to him being elected the FMVP that year.

However, many fans mentioned that this round of the series, they would still give Curry a standoff. After all, as the boss of the team, he performed very well. In the series, he averaged 26 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists per game. His data is obviously far above Iguodala.

3. Sidrick Maxwell, who entered the league in 1977, played for top giants like the Celtics from the beginning, especially when they chose Bird again, the team quickly rose, and Maxwell also got the opportunity to win the championship. Later in 1981, the Celtics successfully won the championship trophy, and that year Maxwell was able to contribute 16.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

In this championship, Maxwell performed particularly well in the finals. When he once tied with his opponent 2-2, the outbreak of Maxwell in the battle of Tianwang Mountain became a key factor affecting the direction of the series. After G4 scored 24 points and 14 rebounds, he scored 28 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in that game, and his shooting percentage was as high as 76.9%. Then in the final battle, Maxwell also scored 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists with a shooting rate of 63.6%. The Celtics successfully won the cup. He was personally elected as FMVP with his average of 17.2 points.

However, in this round of the series, Bird's performance is not inferior to Maxwell. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, 7 assists and 2.3 steals per game. With a slightly inferior score, his performance in other aspects is more comprehensive.

4.Jerry West

I believe everyone is familiar with this player's name. As the source of the NBA logo, he was once one of the best defenders in the league. In West's career, he has been selected for the All-Star 14 times and the Best Team 10 times, and he has also won the scoring and assisting king with dual playing styles. Under West's leadership, the Lakers have reached 9 Finals in total, but it was not until 1972 that he finally won the championship. He and the team failed to get what they wanted.

However, in the finals where West lost, he got FMVP once. It was in 1969. In the finals, West averaged 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. In the tiebreak, he even scored a large triple-double of 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Therefore, even though he failed to help the team win the championship that year, he was still named the strongest player in the finals.. West is also the only loser in history. Later, many players made super personal performances in the finals but failed to win the championship, but they were unable to reproduce West's feat.

5. Magic Johnson

Finally, Magic Johnson. He entered the league in 1979 and showed his talent from the beginning. He averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game in the regular season of the rookie season, so he was selected as the All-Star in his first year in the NBA. The most important thing is that with the help of the Magician this season, the Lakers successfully won the championship, and what is even more surprising is that he actually won the FMVP in the end. In the finals, facing the 76ers, the Magic averaged 21.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. During the G6 period, he led the team to score 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists, and led the team to finish the series. However, even so, the Magicians were a bit beyond expectations. You should know that before Jabbar was injured in this round of the series, he averaged 33.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 4.6 blocks per game. His performance is an important factor in the Lakers being the first to win the match point.