NBA Finals MVP: Who has won the most in NBA history?

The NBA Finals MVP award is a coveted honor meant to highlight the player who balled out on the biggest stage. Who has won it the most?

Winning the NBA Championship is the goal of pretty much every pro basketball player out there.

How can it get even sweeter to accomplish that goal? By adding the NBA Finals MVP award to the mix.

Only one player can come away with that honor each year. It’s proof that they were the cream of the crop when it literally mattered the most.

Who has the most NBA Finals MVP awards?

1. Michael Jordan — 6
2. LeBron James — 4
3. Tim Duncan — 3
   Magic Johnson — 3
   Shaquille O’Neal — 3

Michael Jordan’s dominance with the Bulls was exemplified by his record six MVP awards. He won three of those in a row on two separate occasions, the first coming in 1991 and the last in 1998.

LeBron James has come the closest to matching Jordan. Impressively, he’s won MVPs with three different teams, two coming for the Heat and one each for the Cavaliers and Lakers.

Tim Duncan won three with the Spurs from 1999 to 2005. Magic Johnson won his with the Lakers in 1980, 1982 and 1987. Shaquille O’Neal snagged his in consecutive years in Los Angeles in 2000, 20001 and 2002.

Six players have won the Finals MVP award twice including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.

James, Abdul-Jabbar and Leonard are the only players in NBA history to win a Finals MVP with two different teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the MVP award for the 2021 Finals.

Someone from the Warriors or Celtics will be the next to join the elite club.