This award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season, here are the NBA most improved player award holders
NBA Most Improved Player Award holders.
The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections.
Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point.
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Awarded for | Player with greatest improvement in playing ability in regular season of the National Basketball Association |
The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.
The criteria for selecting the most improved player was initially open-ended, but the NBA clarified in later years that it was intended for an up-and-coming player who improved dramatically and not a player who made a comeback, distinguishing it from the defunct NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award.
| Season | Lg | Player | Voting | Age | Tm | G | MP | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | WS | WS/48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | NBA | Ja Morant | (V) | 22 | MEM | 57 | 33.1 | 27.4 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 0.4 | .493 | .344 | .761 | 6.7 | .171 |
| 2020-21 | NBA | Julius Randle | (V) | 26 | NYK | 71 | 37.6 | 24.1 | 10.2 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | .456 | .411 | .811 | 7.8 | .140 |
| 2019-20 | NBA | Brandon Ingram | (V) | 22 | NOP | 62 | 33.9 | 23.8 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | .463 | .391 | .851 | 5.1 | .115 |
| 2018-19 | NBA | Pascal Siakam | (V) | 24 | TOR | 80 | 31.9 | 16.9 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | .549 | .369 | .785 | 9.3 | .175 |
| 2017-18 | NBA | Victor Oladipo | (V) | 25 | IND | 75 | 34.0 | 23.1 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 0.8 | .477 | .371 | .799 | 8.2 | .155 |
| 2016-17 | NBA | Giannis Antetokounmpo | (V) | 22 | MIL | 80 | 35.6 | 22.9 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | .521 | .272 | .770 | 12.4 | .210 |
| 2015-16 | NBA | CJ McCollum | (V) | 24 | POR | 80 | 34.8 | 20.8 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | .448 | .417 | .827 | 6.0 | .104 |
| 2014-15 | NBA | Jimmy Butler | (V) | 25 | CHI | 65 | 38.7 | 20.0 | 5.8 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 0.6 | .462 | .378 | .834 | 11.2 | .214 |
| 2013-14 | NBA | Goran Dragić | (V) | 27 | PHO | 76 | 35.1 | 20.3 | 3.2 | 5.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 | .505 | .408 | .760 | 10.3 | .186 |
| 2012-13 | NBA | Paul George | (V) | 22 | IND | 79 | 37.6 | 17.4 | 7.6 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 0.6 | .419 | .362 | .807 | 9.0 | .145 |
| 2011-12 | NBA | Ryan Anderson | (V) | 23 | ORL | 61 | 32.2 | 16.1 | 7.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | .439 | .393 | .877 | 8.9 | .219 |
| 2010-11 | NBA | Kevin Love | (V) | 22 | MIN | 73 | 35.8 | 20.2 | 15.2 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | .470 | .417 | .850 | 11.4 | .210 |
| 2009-10 | NBA | Aaron Brooks | (V) | 25 | HOU | 82 | 35.6 | 19.6 | 2.6 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | .432 | .398 | .822 | 5.5 | .091 |
| 2008-09 | NBA | Danny Granger | (V) | 25 | IND | 67 | 36.2 | 25.8 | 5.1 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.4 | .447 | .404 | .878 | 8.0 | .158 |
| 2007-08 | NBA | Hedo Türkoğlu | (V) | 28 | ORL | 82 | 36.9 | 19.5 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | .456 | .400 | .829 | 9.0 | .143 |
| 2006-07 | NBA | Monta Ellis | (V) | 21 | GSW | 77 | 34.3 | 16.5 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 0.3 | .475 | .273 | .763 | 4.0 | .072 |
| 2005-06 | NBA | Boris Diaw | (V) | 23 | PHO | 81 | 35.5 | 13.3 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | .526 | .267 | .731 | 8.9 | .149 |
| 2004-05 | NBA | Bobby Simmons | (V) | 24 | LAC | 75 | 37.3 | 16.4 | 5.9 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.2 | .466 | .435 | .846 | 6.8 | .117 |
| 2003-04 | NBA | Zach Randolph | (V) | 22 | POR | 81 | 37.9 | 20.1 | 10.5 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | .485 | .200 | .761 | 7.1 | .111 |
| 2002-03 | NBA | Gilbert Arenas | (V) | 21 | GSW | 82 | 35.0 | 18.3 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 0.2 | .431 | .348 | .791 | 6.5 | .109 |
| 2001-02 | NBA | Jermaine O’Neal | (V) | 23 | IND | 72 | 37.6 | 19.0 | 10.5 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 2.3 | .479 | .071 | .688 | 6.4 | .113 |
| 2000-01 | NBA | Tracy McGrady | (V) | 21 | ORL | 77 | 40.1 | 26.8 | 7.5 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .457 | .355 | .733 | 12.2 | .189 |
| 1999-00 | NBA | Jalen Rose | (V) | 27 | IND | 80 | 37.2 | 18.2 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | .471 | .393 | .827 | 7.3 | .118 |
| 1998-99 | NBA | Darrell Armstrong | (V) | 30 | ORL | 50 | 30.0 | 13.8 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 2.2 | 0.1 | .441 | .365 | .904 | 6.4 | .205 |
| 1997-98 | NBA | Alan Henderson | (V) | 25 | ATL | 69 | 29.0 | 14.3 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | .485 | .500 | .652 | 6.0 | .144 |
Since its inception, the award has been given to 36 players.
No player has ever won the award twice. Boris Diaw, Kevin Love, Pascal Siakam, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only award winners to win an NBA Championship, Siakam is the only winner to win a championship in the same season as the award, and Antetokounmpo is the only winner to win NBA Finals MVP.
Rony Seikaly, Gheorghe Mureșan, Boris Diaw, Hedo Türkoğlu, Goran Dragić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Pascal Siakam are the only award winners born outside the United States.
The Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have both seen five players win the award, the most in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first recipient of the award to later become an NBA MVP.
Tracy McGrady is the only recipient to win a scoring title as well as being the first recipient of the award to be named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.