The NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is an annual award given to the best player in the NBA Finals series. The award is given based on the voting process, which is carried out by the media members. Since the 1969 finals, the NBA finals MVP award has been given to the players. Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal are the only players in NBA history to have received the award three years in a row. So, let’s look at five players with the most number of NBA Finals MVP wins.
5. Tim Duncan (3 times)
One of the greatest power forward of all time, Tim Duncan has won a record of three NBA Finals MVP awards in his career. He won his first Finals MVP Award in the 1998-99 season, followed by the 2002-03 season and the third one in 2004-05. Duncan is the 15th all-time highest scorer in NBA history, having scored 26,496 points in his career in 1,392 games played. He has blocked 3,020 shots in his 19-year career.
A five-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA MVP, a three-time NBA Finals MVP had a career average of 2.2 blocks per game. He was the only player to be selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams for 13 consecutive seasons. ‘The Big Fundamental’ is the all-time leader in blocks in the NBA Playoffs, with 568 blocked shots.
4. Shaquille O’Neal (3 times)
Shaquille has also won three NBA Finals MVP wins. He bagged his first finals MVP at the 1999-00 NBA Finals, scoring 41 points and securing 12 rebounds in Game 6, and also won his first championship title. He then clinched his second and third NBA Finals MVP wins in the following consecutive seasons.
O’Neal is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000). The other players who have achieved the same feat are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998.
3. Magic Johnson (3 times)
Johnson has also clinched 3 NBA Finals MVP wins. The LA Lakers point guard bagged his first Finals MVP win in the 1979-80 season. He won his second finals MVP in the 1981-82 season and third in the 1986-87 season.
Johnson was the all-time leader in assists in NBA history with 9,921 assists till 1995. In the last championship series of his career, Johnson averaged 18.6 points on .431 shooting, 12.4 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game.
2. LeBron James (4 times)
A four-time champion, 17-time All-Star, LeBron James has won the award four times. He bagged his first Finals MVP award in the 2011-12 season, second award in the following season. His third and fourth Finals MVP awards came in the 2015-16 and 2019-20 seasons respectively.
A four-time MVP winner has averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 51% shooting from the field as an 18th-year player during the 2020-21 regular season. Also, became the first player to average 25 points a season for 17 straight seasons this year.
1. Michael Jordan (6 times)
And obviously, without a doubt, Michael Jordan tops the list with a record six Finals MVP wins. Jordan never lost a series in the Finals and went a perfect 6-6 in the finals of the NBA Championship. Jordan won his first three championship titles between the 1990-91 and 1992-93 seasons. And in the same seasons, he bagged his first three awards. Then, during the 1995-96 through to 1998-199 season, he led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA Championships and also claimed the Finals MVP Award in all three seasons.
Jordan is the only player in the NBA history that has won NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star Game MVP, NBA Defensive Player of The Year, and NBA Rookie of the Year awards. He also holds the NBA records for career regular-season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game).