NBA History: 5 Players who were on the verge of winning unanimous MVP

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) has been bagged by some of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. After sheer dominance and a highly successful season, the honors were taken home by these individuals.

A lot of players have won it multiple times over the years while a lot of players won the award just once. The likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan have won the accolade more than once while the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and others have only won it once in their career. Many legends of the game have been denied this prestigious award over the years due to various reasons.

Steph Curry is the only player in the history of the sport to win the award unanimously. Here we look at the five players who were nearly voted as anananimous MVP.

#5 Larry Bird - 1985-86 (73 of 78 votes)

Larry Bird won three MVPs in his illustrious career

One of the greatest players of all time, Larry Bird won his second MVP during the 1985-86 season while leading the Boston Celtics to an NBA Championship. He nearly bagged all the votes in the MVP race for his exploits during the campaign but fell five votes short of becoming the first-ever unanimous MVP the game has ever seen.

Bird was arguably the best player on the planet during that time, averaged nearly 26 points per game while grabbing 9.8 rebounds and dishing out over 6 assists throughout the season. He was shooting over 42% from range and nearly 50% from the field.

The forward led the Celtics to an incredible regular season where they were defeated just once on homecourt. They swept the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, beat the Atlanta Hawks in the semifinals and then eventually the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird and co. went up against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals and won the series in six games.

#4 Michael Jordan - 1995-96 (Won 109 of 113 votes)

Michael Jordan receives the award from commissioner David Stern

Arguably the greatest of all time had the greatest season of all time and yet could not win the unanimous MVP. Michael Jordan was lighting up the league during the 1995-96 season with Chicago Bulls. He was leading the league in scoring and was one of the best two-way players in the league.

Jordan led the Bulls to a 72-10 regular-season record while averaging 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists by shooting nearly 43% from the perimeter. It was his first full season back from retirement. Along with Scottie Pippen and Denis Rodman, the Bulls went on to win their fourth championship in six years.

#3 Kevin Garnett 2003-04 (120 of 123 votes)

Kevin Garnett played for the Minnesota Timberwolves when he won the MVP

Nicknamed "The Big Ticket", Kevin Garnett was the driving force behind the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2003-04 season. As the talisman of the franchise, Garnett averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 5 assists throughout the season while shooting 50% from the field. His intimidating presence made him a genuine threat on both ends of the floor.

Leading the way for the Timberwolves, KG dragged the team to Western Conference Finals where they eventually lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise led the Western Conference with a 58-24 record and breezed past the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the postseason. Minnesota then went up against the Sacramento Kings in the semifinals who they beat in seven games before eventually losing to the Lakers.

It was a disappointing end to a brilliant season for Garnett and the franchise.

#2 Shaquille O'Neal 1999-00 (Won 120 of 121 votes)

Shaq won three NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers

The most dominant center of all time, how Shaquille O'Neal did not win the unanimous MVP is beyond belief. A freak of nature in his prime, Shaq was running the league ragged. He was an absolute monster on both ends of the floor and continued to propel his team toward greatness.

During the 1999-00 season, Shaq averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds and shot over 57% from the field. With Phil Jackson running the ship, the Los Angeles Lakers finished with a 67-15 record. They went on to win the championship beating the Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the NBA Finals.

The most annoying thing about Shaq not being awarded the unanimous MVP was the fact that the only other vote went to Allen Iverson who finished seventh in the overall MVP standings. His sheer presence on the court put fear into the hearts of the opponents.

#1 LeBron James 2012-13 (Won 120 of 121 votes)

LeBron James led the Miami Heat to two championships

LeBron James in his absolute peak did everything and during the 2012-13 season, he was in his prime for the Miami Heat. He was a great defender who orchestrated the offense for his side and led them to back to back championships. Teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, there are few sides in history better than this Heat team.

LeBron through the course of the season averaged 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists while shooting 56.5% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc. Truly astonishing numbers for a forward. He was a defensive presence throughout the season while churning out such outrageous offensive numbers.

Being the main figure for the franchise, LeBron led the team to a 66-16 record and swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. They then played the Chicago Bulls who were beaten in five games before setting up the Eastern Conference Finals clash against the Indiana Pacers from which they emerged victorious in seven games. They eventually went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals capping off a truly magnificent season for King James.