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Initially established in 1969, the NBA Finals MVP trophy has been awarded to 34 different players over the years, the most recent being Stephen Curry in 2022.

The first NBA Finals MVP was Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West, who remains the only player from the losing team to receive the award. West averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in the title series that year for the Lakers, who lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

And speaking of the Celtics, the trophy is now known as the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award, which some may think doesn’t make sense given that the Boston legend never won it. But the only reason that’s the case is due to the fact that Russell got just one shot at it, as those ’69 Finals marked his final NBA games.

Had the award been established during his prime, Russell easily would have won it on multiple occasions as he led the Celtics to 10 additional championships during his Hall of Fame career, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. In reality, Russell could easily be sitting atop the all-time list.

So who exactly does hold the record for the most NBA Finals MVP Awards?

Michael Jordan won NBA Finals MVP a record six times

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Michael Jordan owns the record for the most NBA Finals MVP trophies won.

Jordan famously led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Finals appearances in the 1990s, winning every single one of them and taking MVP honors each time.

In leading the Bulls to victories over the Los Angeles Lakers (1991), the Portland Trail Blazers (1992), the Phoenix Suns (1993), the Seattle Supersonics (1996), and the Utah Jazz twice (1997, 1998), MJ averaged 33.6 points, 6.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 35 NBA Finals games.

Every NBA Finals MVP

In addition to Michael Jordan, 11 others have won NBA Finals MVP on multiple occasions.

LeBron James sits in second place with four, while Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tim Duncan are tied for third with three wins each.

Here’s a quick look at every Finals MVP winner in history.

PlayerNBA Finals MVP AwardsYear(s) Won
Michael Jordan61991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
LeBron James42012, 2013, 2016, 2020
Magic Johnson31980, 1982, 1987
Shaquille O’Neal32000, 2001, 2002
Tim Duncan31999, 2003, 2005
Willis Reed21970, 1973
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar21971, 1985
Larry Bird21984, 1986
Hakeem Olajuwon21994, 1995
Kobe Bryant22009, 2010
Kevin Durant22017, 2018
Kawhi Leonard22014, 2019
Jerry West11969
Wilt Chamberlain11972
John Havlicek11974
Rick Barry11975
Jo Jo White11976
Bill Walton11977
Wes Unseld11978
Dennis Johnson11979
Cedric Maxwell11981
Moses Malone11983
James Worthy11988
Joe Dumars11989
Isiah Thomas11990
Chauncey Billups12004
Dwyane Wade12006
Tony Parker12007
Paul Pierce12008
Dirk Nowitzki12011
Andre Iguodala12015
Giannis Antetokounmpo12021
Stephen Curry12022
Nikola Jokic12023
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Senior Writer, Programmer

Luke Norris

Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting.

Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes.

In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke’s work has appeared on  The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.