Even Mike Brown admits it’s a little early to be doing this kind of electioneering but, hey, he’s the one who threw Jalen Brunson’s name into the MVP conversation, and just in time for this to be the spark for this week’s Open Mike discussion.
Brunson has been terrific so far this year, averaging 28.6 points and 6.3 assists on 48.1 percent shooting, but it’s still a long shot he’d ever get the nod over early clubhouse favorites Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic or Giannis Antetokounmpo. But if he did, he would be the 46th MVP award collected among New York’s four major sports. Which leads naturally to this fun question: which of those 45 prior MVP seasons were best? Here’s one man’s view. Your views are, as always welcome.
(These include the MLB BBWAA winners since 1931; the NHL Hart Trophy since 1927: the NBA & ABA MVP since 1946/1968; and the AP NFL & AFL MVPs since 1957/1961)
1. Mickey Mantle, Yankees, 1956: Mantle’s self-admitted favorite season, with little wonder: .353/52/139 and a Triple Crown.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
