Hall of Famer Gary Payton has shared his thoughts on Stephen Curry becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA's history. He said that although the Golden State Warriors point guard did well for his team and the league, getting the unanimous votes is a bit questionable.
Payton, who played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers, is certainly no stranger to achievements on the court. Aside from becoming an MVP, he was also inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
For him, though, Curry getting this year's MVP award was a matter of timing and other external factors. He noted that other players during his time in the NBA, such as Michael Jordan, should have also gotten a unanimous decision.
"It's again about era," he told Sports Illustrated. "It's about who's voting and what's going on. I really don't think so. I can name a couple of guys: Michael Jordan, who had - they won 72 games...Why wouldn't he be a unanimous decision? Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell; I can name a lot of guys that could have been unanimous."
He then noted that it all boils down to the panel who cast their votes for this year's MVP. If other people were asked to vote, then the result would probably be different.
"It just happened in an era that it went his way," he continued. "He was the first one to do it. Like I said, I commend him again and what he's accomplished, but you gotta think about who was voting for Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem and all of them during their time, why the heck would they not give all their votes to them guys at that time when they're doing it?"
Still, despite these factors, one cannot deny the fact that Curry went all out for the Warriors. He led this season in the number of steals and three points made and was able to push the team to a 73-9 record. Because of this, he became the league's first-ever unanimous MVP.
