With the 2026 NBA Finals guaranteeing a first-time Finals MVP, here’s a look at the players that have added the revered award to their trophy case.
The 2026 NBA Finals are off to a thunderous, exciting start, sending one of basketball’s most success-starved fanbases into a frenzy as the New York Knicks bring a 2-0 series lead back to Madison Square Garden over the San Antonio Spurs.
With an opportunity to sweep the series by defending their home court, Knicks fans who haven’t seen a championship in 53 years (still not even half the drought of the 108-year Chicago Cubs drought) are already dreaming of a parade through Manhattan and thinking of which star player will take home their first Finals MVP award.
Viewed as one of the league’s most coveted awards, winning a Finals MVP often soars above many regular season accomplishments in comparison, with the honor being seen as proof of a player being able to perform at the highest possible level on the brightest possible stage.
Originally awarded to Jerry West following the 1969 NBA Finals (which remains the lone occurrence of the award going to a player on the losing team), the NBA Finals MVP has been awarded to 35 different players – despite being handed out a total of 56 times.
The history of the award is decorated with a litany of the game’s greatest players of all-time. Headlined by six-time winner Michael Jordan, 11 other players have won the award on at least two occasions, with LeBron James leading the rest of the pack with four wins.
What is perhaps the most striking about the list of all-time winners is the sheer lack of forgettable names. Excluding active players, only two winners of the award are not members of the Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to 1981 winner Cedric Maxwell of the Boston Celtics, 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala is also not enshrined in Springfield – but he is eligible to be elected beginning in 2027.
The award is guaranteed to see its 36th winner of all-time in 2026, with no previous winners of the accolade involved in this year’s NBA Finals. Current odds from DraftKings suggest Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns as the favorites, while Victor Wembanyama holds the best odds of any Spur.
With the Knicks just two wins away from basketball royalty, here’s a look at the 35 players that have etched their names into the perhaps the most prestigious category of the record books:
- Jerry West: 1969, Los Angeles Lakers
- Willis Reed: 1970, 1973, New York Knicks
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 1971, 1985, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers
- John Havlicek: 1974, Boston Celtics
- Rick Barry: 1975, Golden State Warriors
- Jo Jo White: 1976, Boston Celtics
- Bill Walton: 1977, Portland Trail Blazers
- Wes Unseld: 1978, Washington Bullets
- Dennis Johnson: 1979, Seattle SuperSonics
- Magic Johnson: 1980, 1982, 1987, Los Angeles Lakers
- Cedric Maxwell: 1981, Boston Celtics
- Moses Malone: 1983, Philadelphia 76ers
- Larry Bird: 1984, 1986, Boston Celtics
- James Worthy: 1988, Los Angeles Lakers
- Joe Dumars: 1989, Detroit Pistons
- Isiah Thomas: 1990, Detroit Pistons
- Michael Jordan: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, Chicago Bulls
- Hakeem Olajuwon: 1994, 1995, Houston Rockets
- Tim Duncan: 1999, 2003, 2005, San Antonio Spurs
- Shaquille O’Neal: 2000, 2001, 2002, Los Angeles Lakers
- Chauncey Billups: 2004, Detroit Pistons
- Dwyane Wade: 2006, Miami Heat
- Tony Parker: 2007, San Antonio Spurs
- Paul Pierce: 2008, Boston Celtics
- Kobe Bryant: 2009, 2010, Los Angeles Lakers
- Dirk Nowitzki: 2011, Dallas Mavericks
- LeBron James: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2020, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers
- Kawhi Leonard: 2014, 2019, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
- Andre Iguodala: 2015, Golden State Warriors
- Kevin Durant: 2017, 2018, Golden State Warriors
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 2021, Milwaukee Bucks
- Stephen Curry: 2022, Golden State Warriors
- Nikola Jokic: 2023, Denver Nuggets
- Jaylen Brown: 2024, Boston Celtics
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 2025, Oklahoma City Thunder
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