5 Players Who Became NBA MVP the Quickest: Rookie MVPs Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld Lead List

• Kenny Smith said Victor Wembanyama would win the MVP in Year 4 of his career
• Two NBA players have won the MVP award in their rookie seasons
• Three NBA players have won the MVP award in their sophomore seasons

The Victor Wembanyama hype train shows no sign of slowing down.

Two-time NBA champion and TNT analyst Kenny Smith added his name to those singing the Frenchman’s praises, saying the San Antonio Spurs star will be the MVP in his fourth year in the league.

While it would certainly be quite an achievement for Wemby to win the MVP award in just his fourth season, it won't make him the quickest to win the prestigious trophy.

Sports Brief looks at the players who won the MVP award the quickest in terms of seasons played in NBA history.

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NBA

1. Wilt Chamberlain (Rookie MVP, 1960)

Chamberlain established plenty of records in his illustrious NBA career. Many people remember his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in 1962.

Nothing beats, however, among his long list of accomplishments, the feat he achieved in his very first NBA season.

He became the first player in NBA history to win the Most Valuable Player award in his rookie season, per TMZ.

He also won the Rookie of the Year award after averaging 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game in the 1959-60 season for the Philadelphia Warriors.

Chamberlain led the Warriors to a 49-26 record in his rookie year, a vast improvement from the 32-40 slate they posted the previous season.

2. Wes Unseld (Rookie MVP, 1969)

Unseld became the second player in NBA history to win the MVP award in his rookie season, per NBC Philadelphia.

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NBA

The No. 2 pick in the 1968 Draft averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game for the Baltimore Bullets in his rookie year.

Fellow players did not hold it against Unseld that he was Baltimore’s fifth-best scorer that season. He got the most MVP votes after leading the Bullets to a league-best 57-25 record.

3. Bob Pettit (Sophomore MVP, 1956)

Pettit made history in 1956 when he became the first winner of the NBA MVP award. The reigning Rookie of the Year dominated in his sophomore season, averaging 25.7 points and 16.2 rebounds per contest in the 1955-56 campaign.

The Hall of Famer went on to win another MVP award later in his career, cementing his status as one of the greatest centers in NBA history.

4. Bill Russell (Sophomore MVP, 1958)

Russell racked up many awards in his illustrious NBA career, including 11 championships as a player in 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics.

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The only Finals loss that he experienced happened in the 1957-58 season against Pettit and the St. Louis Hawks.

Interestingly, that was the season wherein Russell won the first of his five MVP awards.

He wreaked havoc in his sophomore season, averaging 16.6 points and 22.7 rebounds per contest to win the MVP award in 1958.

5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Sophomore MVP, 1971)

He dominated the league right from the get-go, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1970.

He stepped it up a notch the following season, averaging 31.7 points and 16.0 rebounds per outing to win the MVP award in his sophomore year.

He capped off that magical season with a title, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship in 1971.

Highest-paid NBA players

Sports Brief recently reported on the highest-paid players for the 2023-24 NBA season.

Stephen Curry leads the list, earning $51.9 million next season.

Reigning NBA Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic is ranked second, with the Denver Nuggets paying him $47.6 million.