This season saw the emergence of a new first-time MVP recipient, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He maintains the ongoing success for international players receiving this honor, yet there’s an intriguing pattern among the most valuable player winners from the past ten years; they share a distinctive characteristic.
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What characteristic do the most recent nine recipients of the NBA MVP award share?
Since 2017, when Russell Westbrook won his first NBA Most Valuable Player award, each of the subsequent nine MVP winners has not sported any tattoos.
That’s correct; not a single tattoo.
Is this meaningful? Probably not, but it’s an intriguing pattern that has nearly reached a ten-year mark.
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Tattoos have remained highly significant in
NBA
Over the years, culture has evolved, and with jerseys worn without sleeves, players have the opportunity to display their tattoo art during games.
Over these nine years, six players have claimed the MVP award.
The
Thunder
Three current or former players have claimed this accolade, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s recent victory, followed by James Harden securing the honor in 2018, one year subsequent to Russell Westbrook’s win.
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In the past five years, Jokic has claimed three MVP titles, while Joel Embiid secured the honor in the 2022-23 season.
Finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo secured the award consecutively in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
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