Danny Green is still baffled by Stephen Curry's unanimous MVP: "You couldn't just give two votes for one other person?"
Nearly 10 years have passed since Stephen Curry became the first unanimous Most Valuable Player in NBA history. After averaging a league-leading 30.1 points on 50.4 percent shooting, making 5.1 3-pointers per game, and leading the Golden State Warriors to a record-breaking 73-9 season, there was no doubt in anyone's minds that Curry would hoist the highest individual honor in the league.
But according to former NBA champion Danny Green , it still feels crazy that no other player received a first-place vote that season. Despite great seasons from the likes of LeBron James (25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists) and Green's San Antonio Spurs teammate Kawhi Leonard (21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals), every voter seemed preoccupied with giving the Warriors' superstar the crown.
Nobody else could get a vote?
The 2015-16 voting panel comprised 130 media members, and one vote was granted to fans via an online vote. When all was said and done, all 131 first-place votes were cast for Curry — something that Green apparently remains bitter about to this day.
"He shot unbelievable, bro. He deserved MVP. I’m not saying, but you couldn’t get 98?" Green said on "No Fouls Given."
"You couldn’t just give the n—a two votes for one other person? One. Like, bro, are you s—ting me? In 2016, LeBron wasn’t f—king crazy. LeBron was great," he continued. "You couldn’t have 95 votes, spread out five other votes to somebody else?"
To emphasize his point, Green recalled how utterly dominant Wilt Chamberlain was during the 1961-62 NBA season, when he averaged a mind-blowing 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds for the Philadelphia Warriors. However, even that spectacular season-long performance wasn't enough to merit him an MVP award, much less a unanimous one.
"You thought he was Wilt?" Green said. "I’m looking back at it now like, damn. At the time, I was like, no — we knew he was going to win. I was like, whatever, he won MVP. But I’m not thinking of the magnitude of the first unanimous."
Change the voters
Paul Pierce believes that the NBA must change the composition of the voting panel. At the moment, it comprises sportswriters and broadcasters from the U.S. and Canada who regularly cover the league. These local and national media reporters have the responsibility of voting for the regular-season MVP.
Pierce, though, said that this must be addressed in some way.
"To me, they have to change who votes. I don’t agree with the people who vote. I think the players should have more weight on who votes," he said. "I think you should give some votes to some sports podcasters like us."
"Like seriously, man. It can’t be these guys who are in the front office or — or like — even like, take the coaches out of it. Get the coaches out of here. You know what I’m saying? Or some GMs," he added.
While some members of the media have the credibility to have a say in who the MVP of a season is, Pierce is right to say that players must have a voice as well. After all, they are the ones on the floor who are actually playing with or against these players and have a perspective that the media just do not have.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
