The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award.[1] The award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, until a new trophy was introduced in 2005.[2][3]

Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award
Awarded forMost valuable player of the NBA Finals
Presented byNational Basketball Association
History
First award1969
Most winsMichael Jordan
(6 awards)
Most recentNikola Jokić
(1st award)

Since its inception, the award has been given 55 times to 34 players. Michael Jordan is a record six-time award winner.[4] LeBron James has won the award four times in his career, and Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan won three times each. Jordan and O'Neal are the only players to win the award in three consecutive seasons (Jordan accomplished the feat on two occasions). Johnson is the only rookie ever to win the award,[5] as well as the youngest at 20 years and 276 days old.[6][7] In 1985, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the oldest to win at 38 years and 54 days old.[8] Andre Iguodala is the only winner to have not started every game in the series.[9] In the 1969 finals, Jerry West, the first-ever awardee, is the only person to win the award while being on the losing team.[4]

Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[lower-alpha 1] Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant won the award twice. Olajuwon, Durant, Bryant, and James have won the award in two consecutive seasons. James is the only player to have won the award with three different teams,[10] while he and Leonard are the only players to have won the award in both conferences.[11] Johnson, Moses Malone, Durant, and Leonard are the only players to have been named Finals MVP in their first season with a team.[12] Olajuwon of Nigeria (who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1993), Tony Parker of France, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, and Nikola Jokić of Serbia are the only international players to win the award. Duncan is an American citizen, but is considered an "international" player by the NBA because he was not born in one of the fifty states or Washington, D.C.[13] Parker, Nowitzki, Antetokounmpo and Jokić are the only winners to have been trained totally outside the U.S.; Olajuwon played college basketball at Houston and Duncan at Wake Forest. Cedric Maxwell and Chauncey Billups are the only Finals MVP winners eligible for the Hall of Fame who have not been voted in.[14]

On February 14, 2009, during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the award would be renamed the "Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award" in honor of 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell.[15]

Winners

head shot of Jerry West
Jerry West, the inaugural recipient, is the only player to win the award while being on the losing team.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won twice in 1971 and 1985, holds the record for the longest gap between awards
head shot of Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is the only player to win the award as a rookie.
head shot of Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan has won the award a record six times.
Shaquille O'Neal is the only player other than Michael Jordan to have won the award three times consecutively.
Tony Parker was the second player born outside the US to win the award, joining Hakeem Olajuwon.
LeBron James (pictured) is the only player to win the award with three different teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (pictured) is the first player from Greece to win the award.
Nikola Jokić (pictured) is the first player from Serbia to win the award.
^ Denotes player who is still active in the NBA
* Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
† Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[lower-alpha 2]
§ Player's team lost the NBA Finals
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player had received the Finals MVP award
Team (X) Denotes the number of times a player from this team has received the Finals MVP award
Year Player Position Nationality Team
1969 Jerry West* Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers §
1970 Willis Reed* Center/forward  United States New York Knicks
1971 Lew Alcindor*[lower-alpha 1] Center  United States Milwaukee Bucks
1972 Wilt Chamberlain* Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (2)
1973 Willis Reed* (2) Center/forward  United States New York Knicks (2)
1974 John Havlicek* Forward/guard  United States Boston Celtics
1975 Rick Barry* Forward  United States Golden State Warriors
1976 Jo Jo White* Guard  United States Boston Celtics (2)
1977 Bill Walton* Center  United States Portland Trail Blazers
1978 Wes Unseld* Center/forward  United States Washington Bullets
1979 Dennis Johnson* Guard  United States Seattle SuperSonics
1980 Magic Johnson* Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (3)
1981 Cedric Maxwell Forward  United States Boston Celtics (3)
1982 Magic Johnson* (2) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (4)
1983 Moses Malone* Center  United States Philadelphia 76ers
1984 Larry Bird* Forward  United States Boston Celtics (4)
1985 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar[lower-alpha 1] (2) Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (5)
1986 Larry Bird* (2) Forward  United States Boston Celtics (5)
1987 Magic Johnson* (3) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (6)
1988 James Worthy* Forward  United States Los Angeles Lakers (7)
1989 Joe Dumars* Guard  United States Detroit Pistons
1990 Isiah Thomas* Guard  United States Detroit Pistons (2)
1991 Michael Jordan* Guard  United States Chicago Bulls
1992 Michael Jordan* (2) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (2)
1993 Michael Jordan* (3) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (3)
1994 Hakeem Olajuwon* Center  United States[lower-alpha 3] Houston Rockets
1995 Hakeem Olajuwon* (2) Center  United States[lower-alpha 3] Houston Rockets (2)
1996 Michael Jordan* (4) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (4)
1997 Michael Jordan* (5) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (5)
1998 Michael Jordan* (6) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (6)
1999 Tim Duncan* Forward/center  United States[lower-alpha 4] San Antonio Spurs
2000 Shaquille O'Neal* Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (8)
2001 Shaquille O'Neal* (2) Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (9)
2002 Shaquille O'Neal* (3) Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (10)
2003 Tim Duncan* (2) Forward/center  United States[lower-alpha 4] San Antonio Spurs (2)
2004 Chauncey Billups Guard  United States Detroit Pistons (3)
2005 Tim Duncan* (3) Forward/center  United States[lower-alpha 4] San Antonio Spurs (3)
2006 Dwyane Wade* Guard  United States Miami Heat
2007 Tony Parker* Guard  France[lower-alpha 5] San Antonio Spurs (4)
2008 Paul Pierce* Forward  United States Boston Celtics (6)
2009 Kobe Bryant* Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (11)
2010 Kobe Bryant* (2) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (12)
2011 Dirk Nowitzki* Forward  Germany Dallas Mavericks
2012 LeBron James^ Forward  United States Miami Heat (2)
2013 LeBron James^ (2) Forward  United States Miami Heat (3)
2014 Kawhi Leonard^ Forward  United States San Antonio Spurs (5)
2015 Andre Iguodala† Forward/guard  United States Golden State Warriors (2)
2016 LeBron James^ (3) Forward  United States Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 Kevin Durant^ Forward  United States Golden State Warriors (3)
2018 Kevin Durant^ (2) Forward  United States Golden State Warriors (4)
2019 Kawhi Leonard^ (2) Forward  United States Toronto Raptors
2020 LeBron James^ (4) Forward  United States Los Angeles Lakers (13)
2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo^ Forward  Greece Milwaukee Bucks (2)
2022 Stephen Curry^ Guard  United States Golden State Warriors (5)
2023 Nikola Jokić^ Center  Serbia Denver Nuggets

Multi-time winners

PlayerTeam(s)No.Years
Michael JordanChicago Bulls61991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
LeBron JamesMiami Heat (2), Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers42012, 2013, 2016, 2020
Magic JohnsonLos Angeles Lakers31980, 1982, 1987
Shaquille O'NealLos Angeles Lakers2000, 2001, 2002
Tim DuncanSan Antonio Spurs1999, 2003, 2005
Willis ReedNew York Knicks21970, 1973
Kareem Abdul-JabbarMilwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers1971, 1985
Larry BirdBoston Celtics1984, 1986
Hakeem OlajuwonHouston Rockets1994, 1995
Kobe BryantLos Angeles Lakers2009, 2010
Kevin DurantGolden State Warriors2017, 2018
Kawhi LeonardSan Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors2014, 2019

Teams

AwardsTeamsYears
13 Los Angeles Lakers 1969, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020
6 Chicago Bulls 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
Boston Celtics 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008
5 San Antonio Spurs 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014
Golden State Warriors 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022
3 Detroit Pistons 1989, 1990, 2004
Miami Heat 2006, 2012, 2013
2 New York Knicks 1970, 1973
Houston Rockets 1994, 1995
Milwaukee Bucks 1971, 2021
1 Portland Trail Blazers 1977
Washington Bullets 1978
Seattle SuperSonics 1979
Philadelphia 76ers 1983
Dallas Mavericks 2011
Cleveland Cavaliers 2016
Toronto Raptors 2019
Denver Nuggets 2023
0 Atlanta Hawks None
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Before the 1971–72 season, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[16]
  2. ↑ A player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for three calendar years.
  3. 1 2 Hakeem Olajuwon was born in Nigeria, but became a naturalized United States citizen in 1993.[17]
  4. 1 2 3 Because Tim Duncan is a United States citizen by birth, as are all natives of the U.S. Virgin Islands,[18] he was able to play for the U.S. internationally.[19]
  5. ↑ Tony Parker was born in Belgium. He holds French citizenship and plays for their national team.[20]

References

General
  • "Finals Most Valuable Player". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  • "Finals Most Valuable Players". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
Specific
  1. ↑ "Kevin Durant Wins 2017 NBA Finals MVP After Winning 1st Title with Warriors". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Game 5 Notebook: Billups Wins MVP". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Spurs crowned NBA champions". CBC Sports. June 24, 2005. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Finals Most Valuable Player". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Magic Johnson Bio". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  6. ↑ Scott, Nate (June 16, 2014). "Kawhi Leonard is third youngest NBA Finals MVP ever". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Magic Johnson 1979–80 Game Log". basketball-reference. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  8. ↑ Dodson, Aaron (June 9, 2017). "On this day in NBA Finals history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes oldest Finals MVP". Andscape. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  9. ↑ Strauss, Ethan Sherwood (June 16, 2015). "Andre Iguodala named Finals MVP after coming off bench to begin series". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015.
  10. ↑ "LeBron James makes history, wins Finals MVP with 3 different franchises". NBA.com. October 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  11. ↑ Windhorst, Brian (June 14, 2019). "Kawhi 1st to win Finals MVP in both conferences". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Kawhi Leonard joins elite company in winning Finals MVP". NBA.com. June 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Bargnani becomes first European top NBA draft pick". People's Daily Online. June 29, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  14. ↑ Spears, Marc J. (June 17, 2013). "Danny Green's rise from role player to NBA Finals juggernaut isn't the first of its kind". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Finals MVP to Receive Bill Russell MVP Award". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 14, 2009. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bio". NBA. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Hakeem Olajuwon Bio: 1992–93". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Virgin Islands". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  19. ↑ "All-Time USA Basketball Men's Roster: D". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Parker will be speedy foe for Nets". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. June 2, 2003. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2010.

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