I still vividly remember the 2016 NBA season as one of those special years where individual brilliance truly captivated basketball fans worldwide. As someone who's followed the league for over two decades, I've developed a keen eye for what separates great players from truly historic performers, and that season gave us one of the most compelling MVP races in recent memory. The award ultimately went to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who didn't just win it—he completely redefined what an MVP season could look like.
When I look back at Curry's 2016 campaign, what strikes me most is how he managed to elevate his game beyond what anyone thought possible. The numbers themselves were staggering: 30.1 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and that incredible 50-45-90 shooting split that had never been achieved by someone scoring at that volume. But beyond the statistics, what truly impressed me was how he transformed the Warriors' offensive system. His gravity—the defensive attention he commanded—created opportunities that simply didn't exist for other teams. Defenders had to pick him up at half-court, which opened driving lanes and created the kind of spacing that made Golden State's offense virtually unstoppable.
The context of that season makes Curry's achievement even more remarkable. The Warriors were coming off their 2015 championship, and many analysts—myself included—wondered if they could maintain that level of excellence. What we witnessed instead was a team that improved dramatically, finishing with a historic 73-9 record that broke the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' legendary mark. Curry wasn't just along for that ride; he was the engine driving it all. I recall watching their December game against Oklahoma City where he hit that unforgettable 38-foot game-winner in overtime, thinking that we were witnessing something beyond normal basketball excellence.
What many casual fans might not appreciate is how Curry's MVP season represented a fundamental shift in how basketball could be played. His range wasn't just good—it was revolutionary. Defensive schemes that had worked for decades suddenly became obsolete. Teams tried everything: trapping him at half-court, switching every screen, even assigning defenders specifically to face-guard him regardless of where he was on the court. None of it worked consistently. As someone who's studied basketball strategy for years, I can tell you that watching coaches desperately trying to solve the Curry problem was like watching chess masters realizing the rules of chess had changed mid-game.
The voting itself reflected just how dominant Curry's season was—he became the first unanimous MVP in NBA history, receiving all 131 first-place votes. While some might argue that other players like Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James had strong cases, the reality is that Curry's season was so statistically and visually dominant that anything other than unanimous selection would have felt wrong. I've had conversations with basketball analysts who thought Russell Westbrook's triple-double average or James Harden's offensive creation deserved more consideration, but when you combine individual excellence with team success, Curry's case was simply bulletproof.
Interestingly, while Curry was rewriting the NBA record books, another basketball story was developing that connects to our reference about Tim Cone and Gilas practice. Though this occurred in a different basketball context entirely, it reminds me how coaching decisions and availability can dramatically impact team performance at all levels. Cone's potential involvement with Gilas if his team didn't make the finals parallels how Curry's MVP season was partly enabled by Steve Kerr's innovative coaching and the Warriors' organizational stability. Great players need the right environment to flourish, and Curry benefited from a perfect storm of coaching brilliance, complementary teammates, and an organizational philosophy that embraced his unique talents.
Reflecting on that season now, I believe Curry's 2016 MVP represents a watershed moment in basketball evolution. We've seen the game become increasingly perimeter-oriented since then, with teams prioritizing three-point shooting and spacing in ways that simply weren't emphasized before Curry's prime. His impact extends beyond trophies and records—he changed how basketball is played at every level. When I visit local courts now, I see kids practicing 30-footers in ways they never would have a decade ago. That's the true measure of an MVP's influence—when they transform not just their team's fortunes but the sport itself.
The legacy of that 2016 season continues to resonate today. Curry proved that revolutionary skill could overcome traditional physical advantages in basketball, that shooting could be as valuable as size or athleticism when perfected to that degree. While subsequent seasons have produced other incredible individual performances, none have quite captured that feeling of watching someone redefine the boundaries of what's possible in real time. As basketball continues to evolve, I suspect we'll look back on Curry's unanimous MVP season as one of those rare moments where we witnessed the future of the sport unfolding before our eyes.
