Draymond Green recently recorded an episode of his podcast in which he discussed Tracy McGrady’sreaction to Kevin Durant’sstatement that an NBA MVP award carries more weight than an NBA championship.
He disagreed with their take, citing Dirk Nowitzki and Derrick Rose as prime examples of why a championship matters more than an MVP award.
“Also around the NBA, I saw the other day that T-Mac and Vince Carter were speaking about what’s more, a regular season MVP or a championship. And I wanted to say something that was mentioned on there, which is T-Mac saying, ‘Oh man, if you’re the 11th to 12th best player on the championship, it’s the MVP,” Draymond Green said.
“Of course, no one’s arguing that. Of course, that. And I think that was a nuance used to make a point valid in saying that. A lot of you all do not hold Derrick Rose in the regard he should be held in, and he was the youngest MVP we’ve ever had.”
“So, I said that to say, it kind of makes that point not valid because we’re watching y’all not hold Derrick Rose in the regard that he should be held in. But also, it’s not that it’s bigger for an 11th or 12th man because it’s not. We know that you’re going, ‘Oh, you can’t play.’ Of course, we get that.”
“But a championship for a first option, for a second option. Now, let’s have a real conversation. A championship for a first option to deliver a championship and a championship for an MVP. I know the argument doesn’t work, and here’s why.”
“Jalen Brunson just won a championship as a first option. And what I’m certain of is all of you basketball people hold Jalen Brunson at this point right now in a higher regard than you hold Derrick Rose,” Draymond Green explained.
“Now, that’s not the regard that I hold Derrick Rose in. I hold Derrick Rose in very high regard. But I watch you people saying Derrick Rose isn’t even a Hall of Famer, which I think is blasphemous. I think it’s actually blasphemous that people think Derrick Rose isn’t a Hall of Famer. I think it’s a f–king joke.”
“But these people who know basketball happen to think otherwise. So in saying that, when you make the argument, if you’re going to make the argument and that’s going to be the discussion, then make it a real discussion.”
“Like, is a championship for a number one option as big as winning the regular season MVP? That’s the actual argument. Not, oh, is it 11 or 12 men with a chance? That’s not the argument. And no one’s trying to argue that. That’s bulls–t.,” Draymond Green said.
“But a first option, à la Jaylen Brunson or MVP. I would love to know: Dirk, who won one championship and won MVP. I would love to know which one he loves most and which one gave him the higher sense of accomplishment.”
“One thing’s for certain: I know people talk about Dirk’s championship in 2011 far more than they talk about Dirk’s MVP in ’07. So, I just wanted to throw that out there. I saw the takes. They are what they are. I just don’t agree,” Draymond Green concluded.
In my opinion, Draymond Green is confusing a player comparison debate with a debate about how an individual player would assess the value of a championship or an MVP. Kevin Durant and Tracy McGrady’s points were that, when comparing two players, the respect they deserve for things like Hall of Fame worthiness and an MVP award outweighs an NBA championship.
Meanwhile, Green seems to think Dirk Nowitzki values his own championship run more than his MVP run. And while that may be true, that is not the differentiation that Durant and McGrady were referring to.
In terms of ranking players in an all-time list, first options who led their teams to a championship rank above players who won an NBA MVP award but did not win a title. However, bench or role players do not even consider themselves in the same league as MVP-caliber players; most are just happy to succeed in their roles.
So let’s not lose sight of the debate’s point by looking at how an MVP player views his championship. Of course, several players like Charles Barkley and Derrick Rose would have preferred to win an NBA championship over just winning an MVP, but leading a team to a championship means more than focusing on your own performance all year without resulting in team success.
NFL legend Shannon Sharpe also addresses this debate and uses the comparison of Jalen Brunson with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to make his point on the latest episode of Nightcap.
“I think, personally, I think Brunson’s championship is more valuable than Shai’s MVP. 53 years in New York, a man his size. Guys his size don’t lead teams to championships. Not his size. 6’2″ Isaiah, 6’2″ Steph Curry. This man is six feet tall. Okay. 5’11 and a quarter, but who’s counting? Six feet tall. He led them,” Sharpe said.
But another wrong interpretation of this debate has included an MVP in the discussion who also won a championship in the same season. The fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP to win the first championship in his franchise, the Thunder’s history, put him above Jalen Brunson in the all-time rankings, let alone Gilgeous-Alexander’s second regular season MVP in 2026.
This debate isn’t about players who have both MVP awards and championships. It’s a comparison between players who won NBA championships but not as the first option, and a player who won an MVP.
The best example is Robert Horry, who isn’t in the GOAT debate despite winning seven championships: he was a role player each time. Do you think an MVP award gets you more respect in the basketball community than an NBA championship? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
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