MVP Lamar Jackson has something incredible in common with a basketball HOFer

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has something incredible in common with Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

Jackson earned his second MVP honor on Thursday, joining an exclusive group of football greats. The accomplishment also lifted him to a status beyond the NFL's scope.

The Heisman Trophy winner with Lousiville at age 19, Jackson earned his second NFL MVP award by age 27. According to OptaStats, Abdul-Jabbar is the only other player to win a collegiate national Player of the Year award as a teenager before going on to win multiple MVP awards in the pro ranks before turning 28. 

Then Lew Alcindor, Abdul-Jabbar was national player of the year at UCLA in 1967 at age 19. Abdul-Jabbar was selected No. 1 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1969 NBA Draft and won back-to-back MVP awards by his 24th birthday. 

Jackson has already proven worthy of individual accolades, but success in the playoffs has proven elusive, with his lack of team hardware one of the only things separating him from other multiple-time MVP winners. 

Through six NFL seasons, Jackson has compiled a lackluster 2-4 record in the postseason. His production in those games hasn't been overwhelming, either. He's completed 57% of his postseason passes, throwing for 1,324 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions, with 521 rushing yards and as many touchdowns on the ground as fumbles lost (3).  

This season, despite helping the Ravens earn a 13-4 mark and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Baltimore's run ended in a 17-10 loss to the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the conference title game. 

The wound might be too fresh to reflect on for Jackson and company, but the quarterback seems aware of the expectations that still remain. 

Shortly after accepting this year's MVP honor, Jackson gave his best answer when asked what he and the Ravens need to do to get over the hump. 

"Just lock in some more. Just do what we do, and we will be in it," Jackson told Taylor Bisciotti of NFL Network.