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 to commemorate Bill Russell.[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] 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,[a]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]
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 awardsMagic Johnson is the only player to win the award as a rookie.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.
^ abcBefore the 1971–72 season, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[16]
^ abHakeem Olajuwon was born in Nigeria, but became a naturalized United States citizen in 1993.[17]
^ abcBecause 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]
^Tony Parker was born in Belgium. He holds French citizenship and plays for their national team.[20]
ReferencesEdit
General
"Finals Most Valuable Player". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
"Finals Most Valuable Players". ESPN. from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
Specific
^"Kevin Durant Wins 2017 NBA Finals MVP After Winning 1st Title with Warriors". Bleacher Report. from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
^. NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
^"Spurs crowned NBA champions". CBC Sports. June 24, 2005. from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
^ ab"Finals Most Valuable Player". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
^"Magic Johnson Bio". NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
^Scott, Nate (June 16, 2014). "Kawhi Leonard is third youngest NBA Finals MVP ever". USA Today. from the original on June 16, 2014.
^"Magic Johnson 1979–80 Game Log". basketball-reference. from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
^Dodson, Aaron (June 9, 2017). "On this day in NBA Finals history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes oldest Finals MVP". Andscape. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
^Strauss, Ethan Sherwood (June 16, 2015). "Andre Iguodala named Finals MVP after coming off bench to begin series". ESPN.com. from the original on June 18, 2015.
^"LeBron James makes history, wins Finals MVP with 3 different franchises". NBA.com. October 11, 2020. from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
^Windhorst, Brian (June 14, 2019). "Kawhi 1st to win Finals MVP in both conferences". ESPN.com. from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
^"Kawhi Leonard joins elite company in winning Finals MVP". NBA.com. June 14, 2019. from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
^. People's Daily Online. June 29, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
^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. from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
^. NBA/Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 14, 2009. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
^"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bio". NBA. from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
^. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
^. USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
^"Parker will be speedy foe for Nets". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. June 2, 2003. from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
October 15, 2023
finals, most, valuable, player, award, bill, russell, formerly, known, annual, national, basketball, association, award, given, since, 1969, finals, award, decided, panel, eleven, media, members, cast, votes, after, conclusion, finals, person, with, highest, n. 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 to commemorate Bill Russell 2 3 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP AwardAwarded forMost valuable player of the NBA FinalsPresented byNational Basketball AssociationHistoryFirst award1969Most winsMichael Jordan 6 awards Most recentNikola Jokic 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 a 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 Jokic 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 Jokic 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 Contents 1 Winners 2 Multi time winners 3 Teams 4 See also 5 Notes 6 ReferencesWinners Edit nbsp Jerry West the inaugural recipient is the only player to win the award while being on the losing team nbsp Kareem Abdul Jabbar who won twice in 1971 and 1985 holds the record for the longest gap between awards nbsp Magic Johnson is the only player to win the award as a rookie nbsp Michael Jordan has won the award a record six times nbsp Shaquille O Neal is the only player other than Michael Jordan to have won the award three times consecutively nbsp Tony Parker was the second player born outside the US to win the award joining Hakeem Olajuwon nbsp LeBron James pictured is the only player to win the award with three different teams nbsp Giannis Antetokounmpo pictured is the first player from Greece to win the award nbsp Nikola Jokic 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 Player s team lost the NBA FinalsPlayer X Denotes the number of times the player had received the Finals MVP awardTeam X Denotes the number of times a player from this team has received the Finals MVP awardYear Player Position Nationality Team1969 Jerry West Guard nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 1970 Willis Reed Center forward nbsp United States New York Knicks1971 Lew Alcindor a Center nbsp United States Milwaukee Bucks1972 Wilt Chamberlain Center nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 2 1973 Willis Reed 2 Center forward nbsp United States New York Knicks 2 1974 John Havlicek Forward guard nbsp United States Boston Celtics1975 Rick Barry Forward nbsp United States Golden State Warriors1976 Jo Jo White Guard nbsp United States Boston Celtics 2 1977 Bill Walton Center nbsp United States Portland Trail Blazers1978 Wes Unseld Center forward nbsp United States Washington Bullets1979 Dennis Johnson Guard nbsp United States Seattle SuperSonics1980 Magic Johnson Guard nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 3 1981 Cedric Maxwell Forward nbsp United States Boston Celtics 3 1982 Magic Johnson 2 Guard nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 4 1983 Moses Malone Center nbsp United States Philadelphia 76ers1984 Larry Bird Forward nbsp United States Boston Celtics 4 1985 Kareem Abdul Jabbar 2 a Center nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 5 1986 Larry Bird 2 Forward nbsp United States Boston Celtics 5 1987 Magic Johnson 3 Guard nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 6 1988 James Worthy Forward nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 7 1989 Joe Dumars Guard nbsp United States Detroit Pistons1990 Isiah Thomas Guard nbsp United States Detroit Pistons 2 1991 Michael Jordan Guard nbsp United States Chicago Bulls1992 Michael Jordan 2 Guard nbsp United States Chicago Bulls 2 1993 Michael Jordan 3 Guard nbsp United States Chicago Bulls 3 1994 Hakeem Olajuwon Center nbsp United States b Houston Rockets1995 Hakeem Olajuwon 2 Center nbsp United States b Houston Rockets 2 1996 Michael Jordan 4 Guard nbsp United States Chicago Bulls 4 1997 Michael Jordan 5 Guard nbsp United States Chicago Bulls 5 1998 Michael Jordan 6 Guard nbsp United States Chicago Bulls 6 1999 Tim Duncan Forward center nbsp United States c San Antonio Spurs2000 Shaquille O Neal Center nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 8 2001 Shaquille O Neal 2 Center nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 9 2002 Shaquille O Neal 3 Center nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 10 2003 Tim Duncan 2 Forward center nbsp United States c San Antonio Spurs 2 2004 Chauncey Billups Guard nbsp United States Detroit Pistons 3 2005 Tim Duncan 3 Forward center nbsp United States c San Antonio Spurs 3 2006 Dwyane Wade Guard nbsp United States Miami Heat2007 Tony Parker Guard nbsp France d San Antonio Spurs 4 2008 Paul Pierce Forward nbsp United States Boston Celtics 6 2009 Kobe Bryant Guard nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 11 2010 Kobe Bryant 2 Guard nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 12 2011 Dirk Nowitzki Forward nbsp Germany Dallas Mavericks2012 LeBron James Forward nbsp United States Miami Heat 2 2013 LeBron James 2 Forward nbsp United States Miami Heat 3 2014 Kawhi Leonard Forward nbsp United States San Antonio Spurs 5 2015 Andre Iguodala Forward guard nbsp United States Golden State Warriors 2 2016 LeBron James 3 Forward nbsp United States Cleveland Cavaliers2017 Kevin Durant Forward nbsp United States Golden State Warriors 3 2018 Kevin Durant 2 Forward nbsp United States Golden State Warriors 4 2019 Kawhi Leonard 2 Forward nbsp United States Toronto Raptors2020 LeBron James 4 Forward nbsp United States Los Angeles Lakers 13 2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo Forward nbsp Greece Milwaukee Bucks 2 2022 Stephen Curry Guard nbsp United States Golden State Warriors 5 2023 Nikola Jokic Center nbsp Serbia Denver NuggetsMulti time winners EditPlayer Team s No YearsMichael Jordan Chicago Bulls 6 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998LeBron James Miami Heat 2 Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Lakers 4 2012 2013 2016 2020Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers 3 1980 1982 1987Shaquille O Neal Los Angeles Lakers 2000 2001 2002Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs 1999 2003 2005Willis Reed New York Knicks 2 1970 1973Kareem Abdul Jabbar Milwaukee Bucks Los Angeles Lakers 1971 1985Larry Bird Boston Celtics 1984 1986Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets 1994 1995Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 2009 2010Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors 2017 2018Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs Toronto Raptors 2014 2019Teams EditAwards Teams Years13 Los Angeles Lakers 1969 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 20206 Chicago Bulls 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998Boston Celtics 1974 1976 1981 1984 1986 20085 San Antonio Spurs 1999 2003 2005 2007 2014Golden State Warriors 1975 2015 2017 2018 20223 Detroit Pistons 1989 1990 2004Miami Heat 2006 2012 20132 New York Knicks 1970 1973Houston Rockets 1994 1995Milwaukee Bucks 1971 20211 Portland Trail Blazers 1977Washington Bullets 1978Seattle SuperSonics 1979Philadelphia 76ers 1983Dallas Mavericks 2011Cleveland Cavaliers 2016Toronto Raptors 2019Denver Nuggets 20230 Atlanta Hawks NoneBrooklyn NetsCharlotte HornetsIndiana PacersLos Angeles ClippersMemphis GrizzliesMinnesota TimberwolvesNew Orleans PelicansOrlando MagicPhoenix SunsSacramento KingsUtah JazzSee also Edit nbsp Sports portalNBA Most Valuable Player Award NBA Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award NBA All Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player AwardNotes Edit a b c Before the 1971 72 season Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar 16 a b Hakeem Olajuwon was born in Nigeria but became a naturalized United States citizen in 1993 17 a b c 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 Tony Parker was born in Belgium He holds French citizenship and plays for their national team 20 References EditGeneral 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 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 Game 5 Notebook Billups Wins MVP NBA Turner Sports Interactive Inc Archived from the original on June 27 2012 Retrieved July 16 2008 Spurs crowned NBA champions CBC Sports June 24 2005 Archived from the original on November 4 2012 Retrieved July 16 2008 a b Finals Most Valuable Player NBA Turner Sports Interactive Inc Archived from the original on January 21 2012 Retrieved July 14 2008 Magic Johnson Bio NBA Turner Sports Interactive Inc Archived from the original on May 30 2012 Retrieved October 21 2010 Scott Nate June 16 2014 Kawhi Leonard is third youngest NBA Finals MVP ever USA Today Archived from the original on June 16 2014 Magic Johnson 1979 80 Game Log basketball reference Archived from the original on May 7 2013 Retrieved May 17 2016 Dodson Aaron June 9 2017 On this day in NBA Finals history Kareem Abdul Jabbar becomes oldest Finals MVP Andscape Retrieved May 20 2022 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Kareem Abdul Jabbar Bio NBA Archived from the original on July 31 2008 Retrieved August 4 2008 Hakeem Olajuwon Bio 1992 93 NBA com Turner Sports Interactive Inc Archived from the original on May 16 2008 Retrieved June 15 2008 Virgin Islands CIA World Factbook Retrieved August 12 2008 All Time USA Basketball Men s Roster D USA Basketball Archived from the original on August 28 2009 Retrieved June 16 2008 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award amp oldid 1176144473, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
