NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award explained

Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award
Sport:Basketball
Givenfor:Most valuable player of the NBA Finals
League:National Basketball Association
First:1969
Mostwins:Michael Jordan
(6 awards)
Mostrecent:Jaylen Brown
(1st award)

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]

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] Jerry West, the first awardee (1969), is the only person to win the award while being on the losing team.

Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 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 is the only Finals MVP winner eligible for the Hall of Fame who has 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

^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
§Player's team lost the NBA Finals
Player (#)Denotes the number of times the player had received the Finals MVP award
Team (#)Denotes the number of times a player from this team has received the Finals MVP award
YearPlayerPositionNationalityTeam
1969GuardLos Angeles Lakers §
1970Center/forwardNew York Knicks
1971CenterMilwaukee Bucks
1972CenterLos Angeles Lakers (2)
1973
  • (2)
Center/forwardNew York Knicks (2)
1974Forward/guardBoston Celtics
1975ForwardGolden State Warriors
1976GuardBoston Celtics (2)
1977CenterPortland Trail Blazers
1978Center/forwardWashington Bullets
1979GuardSeattle SuperSonics
1980GuardLos Angeles Lakers (3)
1981ForwardBoston Celtics (3)
1982
  • (2)
GuardLos Angeles Lakers (4)
1983CenterPhiladelphia 76ers
1984ForwardBoston Celtics (4)
1985 (2)CenterLos Angeles Lakers (5)
1986
  • (2)
ForwardBoston Celtics (5)
1987
  • (3)
GuardLos Angeles Lakers (6)
1988ForwardLos Angeles Lakers (7)
1989GuardDetroit Pistons
1990GuardDetroit Pistons (2)
1991GuardChicago Bulls
1992
  • (2)
GuardChicago Bulls (2)
1993
  • (3)
GuardChicago Bulls (3)
1994CenterHouston Rockets
1995
  • (2)
CenterHouston Rockets (2)
1996
  • (4)
GuardChicago Bulls (4)
1997
  • (5)
GuardChicago Bulls (5)
1998
  • (6)
GuardChicago Bulls (6)
1999Forward/centerSan Antonio Spurs
2000CenterLos Angeles Lakers (8)
2001
  • (2)
CenterLos Angeles Lakers (9)
2002
  • (3)
CenterLos Angeles Lakers (10)
2003
  • (2)
Forward/centerSan Antonio Spurs (2)
2004GuardDetroit Pistons (3)
2005
  • (3)
Forward/centerSan Antonio Spurs (3)
2006!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFFF99"GuardMiami Heat
2007!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFFF99"GuardSan Antonio Spurs (4)
2008ForwardBoston Celtics (6)
2009GuardLos Angeles Lakers (11)
2010
  • (2)
GuardLos Angeles Lakers (12)
2011!scope="row" style="background-color:#FFFF99"ForwardDallas Mavericks
2012^ForwardMiami Heat (2)
2013^ (2)ForwardMiami Heat (3)
2014^ForwardSan Antonio Spurs (5)
2015Forward/guardGolden State Warriors (2)
2016^ (3)ForwardCleveland Cavaliers
2017^ForwardGolden State Warriors (3)
2018^ (2)ForwardGolden State Warriors (4)
2019^ (2)ForwardToronto Raptors
2020^ (4)ForwardLos Angeles Lakers (13)
2021^ ForwardMilwaukee Bucks (2)
2022^ GuardGolden State Warriors (5)
2023^ CenterDenver Nuggets
2024^ Forward/guardBoston Celtics (7)

Multi-time winners

AwardsPlayerTeam(s)Years
6 Chicago Bulls1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
4 2012, 2013, 2016, 2020
3 1980, 1982, 1987
2000, 2001, 2002
1999, 2003, 2005
2 1970, 1973
1971, 1985
1984, 1986
1994, 1995
2009, 2010
2017, 2018
2014, 2019

Teams

Awards Teams Years
13Los Angeles Lakers,,,,,,,,,,,,
7Boston Celtics,,,,,,
6Chicago Bulls,,,,,
5San Antonio Spurs,,,,
Golden State Warriors,,,,
3Detroit Pistons,,
Miami Heat,,
2New York Knicks,
Houston Rockets,
Milwaukee Bucks,
1Portland Trail Blazers
Washington Bullets
Seattle SuperSonics
Philadelphia 76ers
Dallas Mavericks
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors
Denver Nuggets
0Atlanta HawksNone
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

References

General

Specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kevin Durant Wins 2017 NBA Finals MVP After Winning 1st Title with Warriors . Bleacher Report. June 17, 2017. January 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210101164959/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2714595-kevin-durant-wins-2017-nba-finals-mvp-after-winning-1st-title-with-warriors. live.
  2. Web site: Game 5 Notebook: Billups Wins MVP . NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. July 16, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20120627200204/http://www.nba.com/finals2004/game5_notebook.html. June 27, 2012. dead.
  3. Web site: Spurs crowned NBA champions . CBC Sports. July 16, 2008 . June 24, 2005. November 4, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121104003120/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2005/06/23/spurs-pistons050623.html. live.
  4. Web site: Finals Most Valuable Player . NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. July 14, 2008. January 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120121012758/http://www.nba.com/history/finalsmvps.html. live.
  5. Web site: Magic Johnson Bio . NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. October 21, 2010. May 30, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120530001137/http://www.nba.com/history/players/johnsonm_bio.html. live.
  6. News: Scott . Nate . Kawhi Leonard is third youngest NBA Finals MVP ever . June 16, 2014 . USA Today . https://web.archive.org/web/20140616194909/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/06/kawhi-leonard-youngest-nba-finals-mvp-tim-duncan-in-1999 . June 16, 2014 . live.
  7. Web site: Magic Johnson 1979–80 Game Log. May 17, 2016 . basketball-reference. May 7, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130507130010/https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsma02/gamelog/1980/. live.
  8. News: Aaron. Dodson. On this day in NBA Finals history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes oldest Finals MVP. June 9, 2017. Andscape. May 20, 2022.
  9. News: Strauss . Ethan Sherwood . Andre Iguodala named Finals MVP after coming off bench to begin series . June 16, 2015 . ESPN.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20150618102455/http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story/_/id/13096860/andre-iguodala-golden-state-warriors-named-nba-finals-mvp . June 18, 2015 . live.
  10. Web site: LeBron James makes history, wins Finals MVP with 3 different franchises . October 11, 2020 . NBA.com . October 12, 2020. January 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210101164901/https://www.nba.com/lebron-james-history-finals-mvps-3-nba-franchises. live.
  11. Web site: Kawhi 1st to win Finals MVP in both conferences . June 14, 2019 . Windhorst . Brian. March 30, 2019 . ESPN.com. January 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210101165010/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26969557/kawhi-1st-win-finals-mvp-conferences. live.
  12. Web site: Kawhi Leonard joins elite company in winning Finals MVP . June 14, 2019 . NBA.com . October 9, 2020. January 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210101164901/https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvps-more-one-team. live.
  13. Web site: Bargnani becomes first European top NBA draft pick. June 16, 2008 . People's Daily Online . June 29, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20121011015037/http://english.people.com.cn/200606/29/eng20060629_278441.html. October 11, 2012. dead.
  14. Web site: Spears . Marc J. . Danny Green's rise from role player to NBA Finals juggernaut isn't the first of its kind . Yahoo! Sports . November 14, 2018 . June 17, 2013 . January 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210101164900/https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--danny-green-spurs-nba-finals-3-pointers-cedric-maxwell-224343936.html . live.
  15. Web site: The Finals MVP to Receive Bill Russell MVP Award . February 14, 2009 . NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . February 14, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090217121109/http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/14/russell.trophy/index.html?rss=true . February 17, 2009.