The NBA’s Most Improved Player Award is presented to the player who shows the most improvement from the previous season. It is an award selected by a panel of Canadian and United States sportswriters every year. Each sportswriter casts a vote for the selection of first, second and third place. The first, second and third place votes are worth five points, three points and one point, respectively. The player with the highest points is announced as the winner, irrespective of the number of first-place votes one gets. It was an open-ended process to select the most improved player, but the NBA later elucidated that it was a conscious effort to reward an up-and-coming player who has improved enormously.
It should be noted that this award is not for a player who has made a strong comeback. A separate award is named NBA Comeback Player of the Year for that. The trophy is named after five-time NBA Champion George Mikan. A player needs to play at least 65 games to be eligible for most of the awards in the NBA, including the Most Improved Player award. The award has been presented to 40 players so far. Players from the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have won the award five times, which is the most for any team.
List of players who have won the Most Improved Player
Below is a list of players who have won the Most Improved Player award since 1985:
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
| 1985–86 | Alvin Robertson | Guard | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986–87 | Dale Ellis | Guard/forward | United States | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1987–88 | Kevin Duckworth | Center | United States | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1988–89 | Kevin Johnson | Guard | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 1989–90 | Rony Seikaly | Center | United States | Miami Heat |
| 1990–91 | Scott Skiles | Guard | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 1991–92 | Pervis Ellison | Center/forward | United States | Washington Bullets |
| 1992–93 | Chris Jackson | Guard | United States | Denver Nuggets |
| 1993–94 | Don MacLean | Forward | United States | Washington Bullets |
| 1994–95 | Dana Barros | Guard | United States | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1995–96 | Gheorghe Mureșan | Center | Romania | Washington Bullets |
| 1996–97 | Isaac Austin | Center | United States | Miami Heat |
| 1997–98 | Alan Henderson | Forward | United States | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1998–99 | Darrell Armstrong | Guard | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 1999–00 | Jalen Rose | Guard/forward | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2000–01 | Tracy McGrady | Guard/forward | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 2001–02 | Jermaine O'Neal | Forward/center | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2002–03 | Gilbert Arenas | Guard | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2003–04 | Zach Randolph | Forward | United States | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2004–05 | Bobby Simmons | Guard/forward | United States | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2005–06 | Boris Diaw | Forward | France | Phoenix Suns |
| 2006–07 | Monta Ellis | Guard | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2007–08 | Hedo Türkoğlu | Forward | Turkey | Orlando Magic |
| 2008–09 | Danny Granger | Forward | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2009–10 | Aaron Brooks | Guard | United States | Houston Rockets |
| 2010–11 | Kevin Love | Forward/center | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2011–12 | Ryan Anderson | Forward | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 2012–13 | Paul George | Forward | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2013–14 | Goran Dragić | Guard | Slovenia | Phoenix Suns |
| 2014–15 | Jimmy Butler | Guard/forward | United States | Chicago Bulls |
| 2015–16 | CJ McCollum | Guard | United States | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2016–17 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Forward | Greece | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2017–18 | Victor Oladipo | Guard | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2018–19 | Pascal Siakam | Forward | Cameroon | Toronto Raptors |
| 2019–20 | Brandon Ingram | Forward | United States | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2020–21 | Julius Randle | Forward | United States | New York Knicks |
| 2021–22 | Ja Morant | Guard | United States | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2022–23 | Lauri Markkanen | Forward | Finland | Utah Jazz |
| 2023-24 | Tyrese Maxey | Guard | United States | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2024-25 | Dyson Daniels | Guard | Australian | Atlanta Hawks |
Also Read: List of NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners
Lists the teams with the most number of Most Improved Player awards
The table below lists the teams with the most number of Most Improved Player awards:
| Awards | Teams | Years |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 2000, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018 |
| Orlando Magic | 1991, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2012 | |
| 3 | Washington Bullets | 1992, 1994, 1996 |
| Phoenix Suns | 1989, 2006, 2014 | |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 1988, 2004, 2016 | |
| 2 | Miami Heat | 1990, 1997 |
| Golden State Warriors | 2003, 2007 | |
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 1986 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 1987 | |
| Denver Nuggets | 1993 | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 1995, 2024 | |
| Atlanta Hawks | 1998, 2025 | |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 2005 | |
| Houston Rockets | 2010 | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2011 | |
| Chicago Bulls | 2015 | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2017 | |
| Toronto Raptors | 2019 | |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 2020 | |
| New York Knicks | 2021 | |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 2022 | |
| Utah Jazz | 2023 | |
| 0 | Brooklyn Nets | None |
| Los Angeles Lakers | ||
| Boston Celtics | ||
| Dallas Mavericks | ||
| Charlotte Hornets | ||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | ||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | ||
| Detroit Pistons | ||
| Sacramento Kings |
FAQs on NBA Most Improved Player Award Winners
A. Dyson Daniels was named the Most Improved Player of the Year in 2024-25 season.
A. The NBA Comeback Player of the Year was awarded between 1981 to 1986. It is no longer active.
A. LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,652 points.
A. Zach Edey is 7 feet 4 inches tall and plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is the tallest player in the NBA as of May 2025.
