James Harden is a 10x NBA All-Star and one of the Houston Rockets’ Kia NBA MVP Award winners.
The Rockets have had three players combine for four NBA MVP Awards in their history. Two of them are Hall of Famers and the other is a surefire entrant once his playing career comes to a close. Let’s highlight each of the Rockets’ MVP seasons.
Moses Malone – 1979 Kia NBA MVP
The 23-year-old Malone was well on his way to superstardom coming into the 1979 season, having been named to two All-Star games already. Malone elevated his game to another level that season, though. He finished as the rebounding leader (17.6) and ranked fifth in points per game (24.8). The rebounding dominance was particularly impressive. His 7.2 offensive boards per game cleared the second-most prolific rebounder’s average by 3.1 ORPG. Malone also averaged 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game en route to winning his first MVP.
Moses Malone – 1982 Kia NBA MVP
After his first MVP season, Malone maintained All-Star form in the following seasons before returning to the mountaintop as the league’s MVP in 1982. His rebounding was still league-leading at 14.7 per game, but his scoring reached another level that year. Malone put up his best offensive season with 31.1 points per game, second behind only George Gervin’s 32.3 PPG. The Rockets had a surprisingly early exit in the playoffs that year, though, bowing out to the SuperSonics in three games. Malone was traded to Philadelphia the following season, where he won his second consecutive MVP.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1994 Kia NBA MVP
In a year with unbelievable play from the league’s big men, Olajuwon still stood above the rest. This was the heyday of David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique Wilkins and Karl Malone. That quartet plus Olajuwon comprised the league’s top five in points per game that year. Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game while also ranking second in blocks (3.7). The Rockets went on to win 58 games and won the NBA Finals in seven games over the Knicks.
James Harden – 2018 Kia NBA MVP
Harden was reaching the peak of his powers in 2018 after finishing second in MVP voting the year prior. In his MVP season, Harden averaged over 30 points per game for the first time in his career. Harden won the scoring title with that effort and also finished third in assists per game (8.8), which shows the momentous impact he had on Houston’s offense. Behind Harden’s amazing performance, the Rockets won a franchise-record 65 games and made it to the Western Conference Finals. Of course, the Warriors were at the apex of their dynasty at that time and defeated the Rockets in seven games.
