Shohei Ohtani Joins Bill Russell On Legendary List With MVP Win

Shohei Ohtani further cemented his status as a once-in-a-generation superstar with his latest National League MVP award.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way player was named MVP for the fourth time in the last five seasons on Thursday. Ohtani again won unanimously after crushing 55 home runs and posting a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts.

ESPN Insights noted that Ohtani now resides among a Mount Rushmore of sports royalty. He became the fourth player to win four MVPs in his first eight professional seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Boston Celtics icon Bill Russell.

Russell won NBA MVP honors in his second season when he grabbed 22.7 rebounds per game for Boston. The illustrious big man received three consecutive MVP nods, starting in 1960-61, and won for a fifth time in his ninth season.

Another MVP would place Ohtani alongside Russell, Peyton Manning and Michael Jordan among five-time winners. The 31-year-old became the first MLB player to garner multiple MVP awards in each league, and he only trails seven-time MVP Barry Bonds on the all-time ledger.

Ohtani remains nine titles shy of Russell, but he helped the Dodgers become MLB’s first back-to-back champions in 25 years. He first steered the Dodgers to their 13th straight postseason by registering a 1.014 OPS as a designated hitter and collecting 62 strikeouts in 47 innings on the mound.

Sharing space with those legends shows the unprecedented nature of Ohtani’s epic five-year run. MLB fans can only hope the Dodgers don’t build a dynasty anywhere close to Russell’s Celtics.