On Wednesday night, Warriors star Stephen Curry will host the 2022 ESPYS.
Among the many awards that will be handed out is Best NBA Player. This year's nominees are Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic and the host himself, Curry.
The 2022 Finals MVP led the Warriors to their fourth championship in eight seasons. Doncic earned his third straight All-NBA First Team selection while powering the Mavericks to a Western Conference Finals appearance. Embiid finished second in MVP voting behind Jokic, who joined some elite company by winning the award for the second season in a row.
Jokic securing MVP again means he's a lock to be named the Best NBA Player at the ESPYS, right? Not quite.
Since the ESPYS began in 1993, there have been times when the NBA's MVP has also been named the Best NBA Player at the ESPYS, but it doesn't always happen. In fact, it's more likely that the MVP is not named the Best NBA Player.
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ESPYS Best NBA Player compared to MVP
Since the ESPYS began in 1993, LeBron James has been named the Best NBA Player seven times. The only other player who has earned the honor more than twice is Michael Jordan (4).
James has won four MVP awards during that time, giving him more MVP trophies than any other player since 1993.
Here's the complete list of NBA MVP winners compared to the Best NBA Player winners at the ESPYS:
| Year | NBA MVP | Best NBA Player ESPY Award |
| 1993 | Charles Barkley | Michael Jordan |
| 1994 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Charles Barkley |
| 1995 | David Robinson | Hakeem Olajuwon |
| 1996 | Michael Jordan | Hakeem Olajuwon |
| 1997 | Karl Malone | Michael Jordan |
| 1998 | Michael Jordan | Michael Jordan |
| 1999 | Karl Malone | Michael Jordan |
| 2000 | Shaquille O'Neal | Tim Duncan |
| 2001 | Allen Iverson | Shaquille O'Neal |
| 2002 | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
| 2003 | Tim Duncan | Tim Duncan |
| 2004 | Kevin Garnett | Kevin Garnett |
| 2005 | Steve Nash | Steve Nash |
| 2006 | Steve Nash | Dwyane Wade |
| 2007 | Dirk Nowitzki | LeBron James |
| 2008 | Kobe Bryant | Kobe Bryant |
| 2009 | LeBron James | LeBron James |
| 2010 | LeBron James | Kobe Bryant |
| 2011 | Derrick Rose | Dirk Nowitzki |
| 2012 | LeBron James | LeBron James |
| 2013 | LeBron James | LeBron James |
| 2014 | Kevin Durant | Kevin Durant |
| 2015 | Stephen Curry | Stephen Curry |
| 2016 | Stephen Curry | LeBron James |
| 2017 | Russell Westbrook | LeBron James |
| 2018 | James Harden | LeBron James |
| 2019 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
| 2020 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Not awarded (COVID-19) |
| 2021 | Nikola Jokic | Stephen Curry |
| 2022 | Nikola Jokic | TBD |
Who votes for the ESPYS?
The ESPYS are voted on by fans at ESPN.com/ESPYS. Voting for the 2022 ESPYS opened on June 28 and closed at 8 p.m. ET on July 17.
The 2022 ESPYS will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 20. The show will air on ABC.
