Who Won the 2014 NBA MVP and How Did They Achieve This Honor?

2025-11-17 10:00

I still remember the 2013-2014 NBA season like it was yesterday - the electric atmosphere in arenas, the heated debates among fans, and the sheer dominance of one particular player that made everyone sit up and take notice. As someone who's followed basketball religiously for over two decades, I've witnessed numerous MVP races, but Kevin Durant's 2014 campaign stands out as something truly special. What made it remarkable wasn't just the statistics, though those were mind-boggling enough, but the narrative surrounding his season and the way he carried the Oklahoma City Thunder when they needed him most.

That season felt different right from the start. With Russell Westbrook missing significant time due to knee issues, the entire offensive burden fell squarely on Durant's shoulders. I recall thinking at the time that this would either break him or reveal his true greatness - and boy, did it ever reveal something extraordinary. He went on this incredible 41-game streak of scoring at least 25 points, which was the longest since Michael Jordan's legendary run in the 1980s. The numbers still astonish me when I look back: 32.0 points per game on 50.3% shooting from the field, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. But what those stats don't capture is the sheer variety of ways he scored - the impossible three-pointers, the drives to the basket, the mid-range jumpers that defenders knew were coming but still couldn't stop.

What really cemented Durant's MVP case for me was watching how he elevated his game in crucial moments. I remember specifically the March 21st game against Toronto where he dropped 51 points, followed by another 46 against San Antonio just a few days later. These weren't empty calories on bad teams either - these were statement performances against playoff-bound squads that needed to see his best, and he delivered every single time. His player efficiency rating of 29.8 that season remains one of the highest in modern NBA history, and honestly, I'm not sure we'll see another scoring season quite like it for a long time.

The voting results reflected just how dominant his season was - he received 119 first-place votes out of 125 possible, leaving LeBron James in a distant second place. While James had another fantastic season himself, there was just no arguing with what Durant accomplished, especially considering he led the Thunder to 59 wins despite Westbrook missing 36 games. I've always believed that MVP awards should factor in circumstances and narrative alongside pure statistics, and Durant's ability to not just maintain but actually elevate his team's performance in his co-star's absence made this one of the most deserved MVP selections I've witnessed.

Thinking about Durant's journey to that MVP honor reminds me of how leadership development works in basketball at all levels. Just last week, I was reading about LA Tenorio returning to Barangay Ginebra after his successful debut coaching the Gilas Pilipinas Youth team to a FIBA U16 Asia Cup berth. It struck me that the same qualities that make great players - resilience, adaptability, stepping up when needed - are exactly what coaches like Tenorio are trying to instill in young athletes. Durant's MVP season demonstrated these qualities at the highest level, showing how individual excellence emerges not just from talent, but from responding to challenges with determination and growth.

The beauty of Durant's 2014 season was that it represented the culmination of years of steady improvement. I'd been watching him since his rookie year, and seeing him transform from a pure scorer into a complete offensive force was one of the great pleasures of my time covering the NBA. His MVP speech, where he famously thanked his mother as the "real MVP," wasn't just a touching moment - it revealed the character and perspective that informed his approach to the game. He understood the sacrifices required, the work ethic needed, and the support system that makes excellence possible.

Looking back now, nearly a decade later, I'm even more convinced that Durant's 2014 MVP season represents one of the peaks of offensive basketball in the modern era. The game has evolved since then, with more emphasis on three-point shooting and different offensive schemes, but what Durant accomplished that year - the efficiency, the volume, the consistency - remains the gold standard for individual offensive seasons in my book. It's the kind of performance that makes you appreciate witnessing basketball history as it happens, the sort of year that reminds you why you fell in love with the game in the first place. Every time I see a player go on a scoring tear today, I find myself comparing it to what Durant did that magical season, and I haven't seen anything quite like it since.