Has Stephen Curry Won the MVP Award?

After leading the Golden State Warriors to its fourth championship in six years, Stephen Curry is climbing steadily in the all-time ranks. His ascent this time around was nothing less than amazing. Curry missed all but five games as recently as the 2019-20 season and missed the playoffs entirely in 2020-21. Even though the latest season is a tad below Steph Curry’s MVP seasons in the past, it was still mind-blowing in some respects.

This article will focus on Steph Curry’s MVP seasons in addition to his stats and personal achievements. Curry is one of the brightest and most decorated stars in basketball, so this is going to be a long one.

How Many Times Has Stephen Curry Won the MVP Award?

Steph Curry won the MVP award twice and is one of a handful of players who have won back-to-back MVPs. The others were Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Stephen Curry’s MVP stats were also out of this world. His first MVP award came in 2015 when he averaged 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and two steals while 49% from the field, 44% from three, and 91% from the charity stripe. Curry made 3.6 three-pointers on average.

As great as those numbers were considering his efficiency, Curry outdid himself the following year. He obviously chose violence, dropping 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.1 steals on even better efficiency. Curry shot 50-45-91, joining the 50-40-90 club for the first time. He made over five three-point shots a night that year, a shooting feat that had not been done before.

Because of his exploits, Curry became the only unanimous NBA MVP in history. The closest one was Michael Jordan in 1995-96 when he received all but two first-place votes. Those two votes went to Penny Hardaway of the Orlando Magic. And in case you didn’t remember, Curry’s second MVP came in the season when the Warriors (73-9) broke the Bulls’ regular-season record (72-10). Coincidentally, Chicago achieved that during the 1995-96 season.

How Many Accolades Does Steph Curry Have?

If we are looking solely at individual major awards such as regular season MVP, Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and All-Star MVP, Curry has a total of four. These include two regular season MVPs, one Finals MVP, and one All-Star game MVP.

That being said, Curry also has a bunch of other “minor” awards. He was a two-time three-point shooting champion, one-time Skills Challenge champion, two-time scoring champion, and a four-time free-throw percentage leader. He also received the Sportsmanship Award in 2011 and the NBA Community Assist Award in 2014.

5 Top Career Achievements of Stephen Curry

1. Unanimous MVP

There have been a number of multiple NBA MVPs and a handful of back-to-back awardees, but Curry is the only unanimous MVP in the league. That means everyone who has a vote had him in the first place. For many, it was the highest level of validation a player can get and undoubtedly the defining moment of Stephen Curry’s career. Of course, Curry’s unanimous MVP stats are absolutely insane: 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.1 steals while making 5.1 threes a game.

Steph Curry’s ridiculous highlights from his unanimous MVP season in 2015/16.

He led the league in PTS (30.1) & STL (2.1) while averaging 6.7 AST & shooting 50% FG, 45% 3PT, 90% FT. He also became the first & only player to make 400 3PTS in a season. pic.twitter.com/XDvgRcnALf

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 7, 2021

2. Holds the Record for Most Career Three-Pointers Made

Another one of those crazy Steph Curry stats is how he broke the record for most three-pointers made. As you may know, the previous leader in that category was Ray Allen, who had 2,973 treys over his career. Curry drilled No. 2,974 back in December 2021 and took him 511 fewer games. Right now, he has 3,117 threes made, a threshold that no one has ever reached.

3. 2022 Finals MVP

Curry led the Warriors to three championships, but he was never named Finals MVP. Andre Iguodala got the nod in 2015, while Kevin Durant brought home a pair in 2017 and 2018. This time around, Curry won’t be denied. He averaged 31.2 points, six rebounds, and five assists while making over five three-pointers a game.

4. 50-40-90

The 50-40-90 club is the Holy Grail of offensive efficiency. (It means a player has shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the free-throw line.) Only 10 NBA players have achieved this feat. Among the crop, Steph made the most threes by a wide margin while also making the second-most field goals. 

5. 2022 All-Star Game MVP

Curry again set a shooting record in the mid-season showcase by making 16 threes en route to scoring 50 points. That was only two shy of Anthony Davis’ record (52 points), but 16 is the threshold for most threes made in an All-Star game.

7 Best Plays of Stephen Curry

Curry is a walking highlight real, mainly because of his penchant for shooting deep threes and otherwordly ballhandling skills. Check out Steph Curry’s 15 best plays:

1. Steph sends CP3 to the ground

Chris Paul is a member of nine All-Defensive teams, and yet Steph Curry effortlessly snatched his ankles. He sends CP3 to the shadow realm with two behind-the-back dribbles punctuated by a sweet-looking midrange J.

 

2. Curry gave Rudy Gobert vertigo

In fairness to Rudy, he was a multiple DPOY winner, but he had no business guarding Steph way out in the perimeter. He looked like a top after Curry pulled an array of dazzling moves against the Frenchman. Gobert was game, but there was nothing he could do about that situation. If it’s any consolation, there was nothing anyone could do when Chef Curry was cooking like that.

 

3. From Way Down Town

Who in his right mind would attempt a 40-footer with three seconds left, a timeout remaining, and the game on the line? That’s right! Nobody else but Steph Curry. It’s a testament to his confidence and also proof of the ultimate trust everyone in the Warriors organization has in him.

 

4. Steph faked the pants off Marcin Gortat

Any big man has no business guarding Steph out in the open, and Marcin Gortat learned the hard way. Curry simply gave him a ball fake, and the Polish Hammer was out looking for a map. He literally has no idea where he or Steph was. This is literally the basketball equivalent of a knockout in boxing or MMA!

 

5. “I own your a**”

It’s never a good idea to trash talk great players– from Larry to Mike or Kobe. Jaylen Brown should have known better after he dished some to Curry. The Baby Faced Assassin responded with some fancy footwork, a fake, and the patented “splash” after completely faking Brown. Guess what? Curry still owns Boston and Jaylen Brown up until this day.

 

6. Steph dribbles through a Clippers crowd

Curry is in the business of embarrassing people, and this time around, he embarrassed the whole Clipper team in a single possession. Jeff Van Gundy thought it was the best play he’s ever seen. JVG might be exaggerating here, but basketball fans get the point: Steph Curry is amazing!

 

7. Steph took it personal against Cleveland

Yes, it’s in the All-Star game, but even a blind man can see Steph was pissed off when the Cleveland crowd booed him. The result was a shooting clinic. He made 16 three-pointers, an All-Star game record, on his way to 50 points, the second-most in ASG history. You just never piss the man off.

Wrapping Things Up: Has Stephen Curry Won MVP Award?

If you’re wondering how many Stephen Curry awards won, including MVPs, this article gives a very detailed answer. Stephen Curry’s MVP stats, more so Curry’s unanimous MVP stats, are absolutely insane.

For instance, Curry’s first MVP year in 2015 saw him average 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and two steals while 49% from the field, 44% from three, and 91% from the charity stripe. He also made 3.6 treys on a nightly basis.

But his unanimous MVP year the season after was historically one of the best ever from an efficiency standpoint. Curry averaged 31.2 points, six rebounds, and five assists while making over five three-pointers a game. His shooting splits? 50 percent from the field, 45% from deep, and 91% from the line. 

Make no mistake about it, the MVP is a “numbers” award given to the best player from the best team. The Warriors that year were the best regular-season team in all of basketball history. That’s if you hear somebody complaining about Steph Curry’s MVP seasons, you can just show him the numbers (because numbers don’t lie).

If you’re interested in learning Stephen Curry story, check out this basketball biography book.

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