The NBA offseason has reached its lowest point. Free agency has dwindled to waiting on Jonathan Kuminga to sign with the Lakers. A move that will ultimately leave them, at best, a second-round exit.
With the basketball world in such a lull, big-picture conversations are being had in the media. On their “Cousins” show, NBA legends Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady brought up the weight of NBA MVPs versus NBA championships.
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It’s important to note that neither Carter nor McGrady won either accolade during their illustrious careers. So they seem to come from a neutral standpoint and don’t have any lean in the debate based on personal experience.
This topic came up on the show because Kevin Durant said that an MVP holds more weight than an NBA title. When brought up to McGrady, he doubled down.
Carter asked McGrady his thoughts on the debate, and if an MVP holds more weight than a title, McGrady was bold in his answer.
“Hell yeah, why wouldn’t it? Man, name the tenth or the eleventh player on the Chicago Bulls or the Los Angeles Lakers, or the Detroit Pistons, or the Boston Celtics. Who are they? Any of those teams, name me the eleventh or the twelfth guy. You can’t. He has a ring. Does he have an MVP? Can he get a MVP? Absolutely not. No. So yes, the MVP of the regular season has more weight than a championship.”
McGrady’s answer isn’t wrong, but it’s also not what this debate is about.
Tracy McGrady gives cop-out answer by comparing MVP to role players
Mar 3, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Former Toronto Raptors and Buffalo Bills minority owner Tracy McGrady talks to the media. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
The debate of a championship vs a regular-season MVP isn’t to prop up the eighth man on a roster. It’s to compare great players alike- ones who have won an MVP but not a title, and vice versa.
The right way to do this debate is to debate specific players. A perfect example would be Russell Westbrook vs Jalen Brunson. Westbrook, of course, won the 2017 NBA MVP award after averaging a triple-double and being the first player since Oscar Robertson to do so.
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Jalen Brunson hasn’t won the league’s MVP, but he did just win Finals MVP and his first title, having an all-time great Finals performance against the San Antonio Spurs.
A regular-season MVP is an incredible accomplishment and won’t be forgotten. That being said, we just saw how elite Brunson is at his peak.
Leading an underdog Knicks team to their first title since Richard Nixon was the U.S. President matters more than Westbrook posting absurd stats that didn’t lead to team success.
Westbrook never won a playoff series as the best player on his team. The 2017 MVP season was electric to watch, but the Thunder were No. 6 in the West and got bounced in five games by the Houston Rockets.
Brunson just dropped 45 points to close out a championship run on the road. Only one other person has done that; his name is Michael Jordan.
A debate between two great players is the point of the MVP vs championship debate. It’s not whether the 9th man on the Warriors will be remembered more than an MVP.
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