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Top 20 NBA Finals MVPs of All Time

By YPB Team

Some collected the trophy six times, one took it home in a losing locker room, and a few needed a single unforgettable series. Where do you stand?

  1. Michael Jordan — ranked #11
    Michael Jordan
    Six Finals appearances, six titles, six Finals MVP awards — the only perfect record on this list.
    1000pts
  2. LeBron James — ranked #22
    LeBron James
    Won Finals MVP four times with three different franchises, including the 2016 comeback from 3-1 down.
    960pts
  3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — ranked #33
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    Won his second at 38, still the oldest Finals MVP in league history.
    862pts
  4. Kevin Durant — ranked #44
    Kevin Durant
    Two in a row with Golden State, outscoring everyone on the floor both times.
    767pts
  5. Dirk Nowitzki — ranked #55
    Dirk Nowitzki
    Carried Dallas past a superteam in 2011 in the most personal title run of the era.
    705pts
  6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — ranked #66
    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
    Won the 2025 award leading Oklahoma City to the franchise's first championship.
    705pts
  7. Willis Reed — ranked #77
    Willis Reed
    Limped out for Game 7 in 1970 and won the award for what that did to the building.
    548pts
  8. Nikola Jokic — ranked #88
    Nikola Jokic
    Averaged a triple-double across the 2023 Finals in Denver's first championship run.
    448pts
  9. Tim Duncan — ranked #99
    Tim Duncan
    Three Finals MVPs across nine years in San Antonio without ever raising his voice.
    448pts
  10. Kawhi Leonard — ranked #1010
    Kawhi Leonard
    Two Finals MVPs with two franchises, and neither of them was the favourite.
    448pts
  11. Kobe Bryant — ranked #1111
    Kobe Bryant
    Won two after Shaq left, which was always the point he was trying to make.
    448pts
  12. Giannis Antetokounmpo — ranked #1212
    Giannis Antetokounmpo
    Closed the 2021 Finals with 50 points in Game 6 on a knee that had buckled weeks earlier.
    448pts
  13. Jerry West — ranked #1313
    Jerry West
    The only Finals MVP ever awarded to a player on the losing team, in 1969.
    448pts
  14. Chauncey Billups — ranked #1414
    Chauncey Billups
    Won it in 2004 for a Detroit team nobody had picked to beat the Lakers.
    329pts
  15. Magic Johnson — ranked #1515
    Magic Johnson
    Won it at 20 years old playing centre in Game 6, then twice more in the 1980s.
    329pts
  16. Stephen Curry — ranked #1616
    Stephen Curry
    Finally won the individual award in 2022, four titles into his career.
    329pts
  17. Isiah Thomas — ranked #1717
    Isiah Thomas
    Won it in 1990 as the smallest player anyone had ever handed the trophy to.
    183pts
  18. Larry Bird — ranked #1818
    Larry Bird
    Two Finals MVPs in three years, both won against Hall-of-Fame frontcourts.
    183pts
  19. Hakeem Olajuwon — ranked #1919
    Hakeem Olajuwon
    Back-to-back Finals MVPs in 1994 and 1995, the years Jordan was away from basketball.
    183pts
  20. Dwyane Wade — ranked #2020
    Dwyane Wade
    Averaged 34.7 points across the 2006 Finals after Miami lost the first two games.
    183pts

#sports636#basketball123#players565#nba98#awards8

Comments

Magic Johnson won it as a rookie, starting at centre in Game 6 with 42 points, and no rookie has managed it since: https://youpick.best/articles/lebron-james-vs-michael-jordan-ranked https://youpick.best/articles/magic-johnson-vs-larry-bird-ranked

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ypb-team·Aug 21·
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