6th place in MVP: The Gary Payton Award (A History)

In honour of NBA fans deciding that finishing 6th in MVP is one of the greatest accomplishments you can achieve in an NBA season, I dedicated my time to listing all 6th place finishes to see who is the best 6th man of all time.

1980-81 was the first season that the MVP was decided by the media so I started from there.

Year	Team	Player	MVP points
2025-26	BOS	Jaylen Brown	89
2024-25	LAL	LeBron James	16
2023-24	BOS	Jayson Tatum	86
2022-23	CLE	Donovan Mitchell	30
2021-22	BOS	Jayson Tatum	43
2020-21	DAL	Luka Doncic	42
2019-20	LAL	Anthony Davis	82
2018-19	POR	Damian Lillard	69
2017-18	MIL	Giannis Antetokounmpo	75
2016-17	GSW	Stephen Curry	52
2015-16	LAC	Chris Paul	107
2014-15	LAC	Chris Paul	124
2013-14	GSW	Stephen Curry	66
2012-13	SAS	Tony Parker	86
2011-12	MIN	Kevin Love	58
2010-11	DAL	Dirk Nowitzki	113
2009-10	DEN	Carmelo Anthony	65
2008-09	DEN	Chauncey Billups	33
2007-08	PHO	Amar’e Stoudemire	27
2006-07	HOU	Tracy McGrady	110
2005-06	MIA	Dwyane Wade	87
2004-05	CLE	LeBron James	93
2003-04	LAL	Shaquille O’Neal	178
2002-03	PHI	Allen Iverson	83
2001-02	SEA	Gary Payton	54
2000-01	ORL	Tracy McGrady	64
1999-00	SEA	Gary Payton	180
1998-99	LAL	Shaquille O’Neal	89
1997-98	MIA	Tim Hardaway	71
1996-97	SEA	Gary Payton	105
1995-96	SEA	Gary Payton	98
1994-95	PHO	Charles Barkley	96
1993-94	SEA	Gary Payton	20
1992-93	SAS	David Robinson	33
1991-92	GSW	Chris Mullin	81
1990-91	POR	Clyde Drexler	75
1989-90	SAS	David Robinson	102
1988-89	PHI	Charles Barkley	94.3
1987-88	ATL	Dominique Wilkins	55
1986-87	PHI	Charles Barkley	113
1985-86	PHI	Charles Barkley	133
1984-85	CHI	Michael Jordan	134
1983-84	PHI	Julius Erving	98
1982-83	DEN	Alex English	42
1981-82	SAS	George Gervin	110
1980-81	MIL	Marques Johnson	73

Multiple Winners:
Gary Payton (5)
Charles Barkley (4)
Stephen Curry (2)
LeBron James (2)
Tracy McGrady (2)
Chris Paul (2)
David Robinson (2)
Jayson Tatum (2)

Lain_C20H25N3O | BOS

44 | 7 hours ago

3 Celtics out of the latest 5.

We are very good at having borderline MVP candidates

Maverick_1991 | Hawks

5 | 4 hours ago

Rest of the team is too good.

And your superstars were not quite on that otherworldly level Jokic, SGA, etc are on

SomeDevil13 | Trail Blazers

32 | 7 hours ago

Lebron with twenty seasons between his first and second 6th place finish… more proof that bum ain’t done shit!

JoshuaCastleBooks

20 | 7 hours ago

So, everybody on this list is a hall of famer or surefire hall of famer except for Marques Johnson.

Marques Johnson would already be a hall of famer except for a major injury.

HankHillShow

2 | 6 hours ago

Amar’e was already voted in for the Hall of Fame. He is being inducted next month.

JoshuaCastleBooks

2 | 6 hours ago

I updated it and yeah, I forgot lol.

TheOneWhosCensored | Celtics

1 | 6 hours ago

Would have? It’s entirely possible he still gets in. He’s been a finalist on the vet committee and a lot of people thought he’d get in this year.

OkPalpitation4976

5 | 5 hours ago

Making a sarcastic post like this and then showing everyone that every single player on here is a hall of famer just completely goes against your point.

Like, yeah, being voted as the 6th best player in the NBA is a great accomplishment, that means you’re one of the best basketball players ever. 5000 players have played in the NBA, how many have finished 6th or better in MVP voting?

Inevitable_Badger641

4 | 6 hours ago

Lmao what did JB do to you lil bro

MrBallistik | Pistons

4 | 7 hours ago

What?

EvergreenHulk | Pistons

3 | 6 hours ago

That’s an amazing list of players. I wonder how far down you have to go for it to be dogshit.

Ok_Hornet_714

3 | 4 hours ago

Ty Lawson and Ben Simmons each have a 12th place MVP, so probably that far down.

decisionagonized | West

2 | 6 hours ago

incredible trolling

Ryoga476ad

0 | 6 hours ago

Dirk was the best player of the NBA even in the RS, in 2011

rocket_beer | Celtics

1 | 6 hours ago

To add to this, it should be called the Gary Payton award

jambr380

1 | 42 minutes ago

Not sure your making the point the way you want to make it.

With Jaylen Brown specifically, we describe him as FMVP Jaylen Brown or 6th in MVP Jaylen Brown because he’s really not that caliber of player. With true superstars you don’t need to use those descriptors because we already know how good they are. When we do this with Jaylen Brown, we are trying to elevate him to a status he really isn’t deserving of.

I do want to know that I still think he is a very good player and will definitely be a difference maker for the Sixers. Don’t want it to seem like I am hating on him, just being realistic