This Date in NBA History (May 10): In 2016, Stephen Curry becomes first unanimous MVP in NBA history

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On May 10 in 2016, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry made history!

Curry was named as the first unanimous Most Valuable Player in NBA history, winning the award for the second-straight season.

The then-28-year-old earned all 131 first-place votes, with San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard in second and Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James finishing third.

"I never really set out to change the game. I never thought that would happen in my career," Curry said. "What I wanted to do was be myself. ... I know it inspires the next generation. You can work every day to get better."

Curry led the Warriors to an impressive 73-9 record in the regular season — the best regular-season record in NBA history, ahead of the 72-10 Chicago Bulls (1996), setting a ton of individual records along the way. 

He averaged a league-leading 30.1 points per game, adding 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds, shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 45.4 percent from the three-point line. He joined Steve Nash and his coach, Steve Kerr, as the only players in NBA history to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor, 45 percent from three and 90 percent from the free-throw line.

Curry's three-point shooting was on another level in 2015-16, becoming the first player to make 400+ threes, connecting on 402 triples, breaking his own record of 286 from the season prior. He had a league-leading 40 games with at least 30 points, 13 games with at least 40 and three 50-point games. 

He became the 11th back-to-back MVP winner in NBA history and the first since LeBron James achieved the feat in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

In 2000, Shaquille O'Neal fell one vote shy (Allen Iverson) of being the first-ever unanimous selection, while LeBron James fell one vote shy (Carmelo Anthony) of a unanimous victory in 2013.

Other notable events on May 10

  • In, 1974 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar buried a game-winning sky hook to secure a 102-101 double-overtime win for the Milwaukee Bucks over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics emerged victorious in Game 7 to win their 12th NBA title
  • In 1987, Golden State's Sleepy Floyd set NBA playoff records with 29 points in the fourth quarter and 39 points in the second half of the Warriors' 129-121 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the West Semifinals. Floyd finished the game with 51 points.
  • In 1993, former NBA players Julius Erving, Walt Bellamy, Dan Issel, Dick McGuire, Calvin Murphy and Bill Walton were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
  • In 1995, Chicago's 104-94 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Round series drew a 7.9 rating on TNT and was viewed in an average of better than five million homes, making it at the time the most watched NBA game ever on cable television.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

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