Derrick Rose was 22. Just a kid from Englewood, Chicago, carrying the weight of a franchise that had been looking for a savior since Michael Jordan walked out the door for the last time. In 2011, he didn't just carry that weight; he sprinted with it. If you look back at the 2011 NBA MVP voting results, the landslide is almost hard to believe given how much we argue about it now.
Rose didn't just win. He demolished the field. He grabbed 113 out of 121 first-place votes. To put that in perspective, LeBron James—arguably in his physical prime—only pulled in four. Dwight Howard, who was a defensive skyscraper in Orlando, got three. Kobe Bryant? Just one.
The Cold Hard Numbers: 2011 NBA MVP Voting Results
Let’s get the tally out of the way first. When the ballots were counted, the point totals looked like a blowout playoff game. Rose finished with 1,182 total points. The runner-up, Dwight Howard, wasn't even close with 643 points.
- Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls): 1,182 points (113 first-place votes)
- Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic): 643 points (3 first-place votes)
- LeBron James (Miami Heat): 522 points (4 first-place votes)
- Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers): 428 points (1 first-place vote)
- Kevin Durant (OKC Thunder): 190 points
Behind them, you had Dirk Nowitzki, who eventually got the last laugh with a championship ring that summer, sitting at sixth. It’s kinda wild to see Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili further down the list, but that’s how deep the league was back then. Rose became the youngest MVP in history at 22 years and 6 months, snatching the record from Wes Unseld.
Why Rose Ran Away With It
Honestly, if you weren't watching the NBA every night in 2011, it’s easy to look at a spreadsheet now and think LeBron was robbed. LeBron averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. Rose put up 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. On paper? LeBron looks better. He shot 51% from the floor while Rose was at 44.5%.
But the MVP isn't a "Best Adjusted Field Goal Percentage" award.
The Bulls won 62 games. They had the best record in the entire league, and they did it while Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missed massive chunks of the season. Rose was the only All-Star on that roster. He was the engine, the transmission, and the wheels. Every night, Tom Thibodeau’s strategy was basically: "Play elite defense and let Derrick figure it out on the other end."
The "Voter Fatigue" and LeBron Narrative
We have to talk about "The Decision." In the summer of 2010, LeBron James went on national TV, moved his talents to South Beach, and held a pep rally promising "not five, not six, not seven" rings. The media hated it. Fans hated it.
There’s a popular theory that the 2011 NBA MVP voting results were a direct punishment for LeBron forming a superteam. While LeBron was arguably the "better" player, his Heat won 58 games—four fewer than Rose’s Bulls—despite having Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. In the eyes of the 121 voters, Rose did more with less.
Dwight Howard also has a legitimate gripe. He was the Defensive Player of the Year and carried an Orlando Magic team that started guys like Hedo Türkoğlu and Jason Richardson to 52 wins. He was the most impactful defensive force of that decade. But Rose had the "it" factor. He was a human highlight reel, exploding to the rim in a way we hadn't seen since Iverson or Jordan.
Comparison of Top Three Candidates (2010-11)
| Player | Team Record | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Rose | 62-20 | 25.0 | 4.1 | 7.7 |
| Dwight Howard | 52-30 | 22.9 | 14.1 | 1.4 |
| LeBron James | 58-24 | 26.7 | 7.5 | 7.0 |
The Legacy of the 2011 Vote
It’s sorta sad to look back at this now. We know what happened next. The ACL tear in 2012 changed everything. Rose’s MVP win is often viewed through the lens of "what if," whereas LeBron went on to win the next two MVPs in 2012 and 2013.
Some people call it a "narrative" win. They say the media was bored of LeBron and enamored with the humble kid from Chicago. Maybe. But the Bulls swept the Heat in the regular season that year. Rose was the first player since Steve Nash to win the award after getting zero votes the previous year. He earned it in the moment, even if advanced stats nerds today would rather give it to Dwight Howard or LeBron.
If you’re looking to settle a bar argument, remember that the MVP is a regular-season award. The Heat eventually beat the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, but by the time that happened, the ballots were already locked in. Rose's 2011 season remains one of the most electric "one-man show" performances in modern basketball history.
Actionable Insights for NBA Fans:
- Check the Context: When looking at historical MVP races, always look at team injuries. Rose’s value skyrocketed because his supporting cast was in and out of the trainer’s room.
- Don't ignore the "Seed": Historically, the NBA MVP almost always comes from a top-two seed in either conference. Rose being the #1 overall seed was the "tiebreaker" over LeBron’s better stats.
- Watch the Tapes: To truly understand the 2011 NBA MVP voting results, watch Rose's highlights from that year. No stat sheet can capture how he terrified defenses in transition.