How does NBA Finals MVP voting work?

The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics are set to go for the NBA Finals, which begin on Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time and the series will air on ABC.

However, by the end of the series when a champion has officially been crowned, the time will come to pick the MVP of the series. Depending on the outcome, most would likely expect the MVP to be one of Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown, and Kyrie Irving.

But how does the voting process work for the finals MVP? Who votes and how is it determined?

How is the NBA Finals MVP determined?

For context, the award was first introduced in 1969. That year, something strange happened. The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, yet Jerry West was given the MVP Award despite being on the losing side.

The finals MVP Award is voted on by a panel of 11 media members. These members have a pool of players to choose from and they cast their vote after the last game of the series. Whichever player receives the most votes is the winner, so it's pretty straightforward.

Last year, when the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat, Nikola Jokic was crowned the MVP of the series. In fact, he was the unanimous choice among the 11 media members who cast their votes.

Stephen Curry won the award in 2022 when the Warriors beat the Celtics. The players with the most finals MVP Awards are Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Durant, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem won the award twice, earning it in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks and again with the Lakers in 1985. Bird earned the award in 1984 and 1986 and Olajuwon won it in 1994 and 1995. KD won it in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors, while Bryant earned it in 2009 and 2010.

Johnson won the award three times in 1980, 1982, and 1987. Shaq and Tim Duncan also won three times, with Shaq winning it in every year from 2000-02 during the Lakers three-peat run, and Duncan winning in 1999, 2003, and 2005.

LeBron has won the award four times. He won it twice with the Miami Heat, once with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and once with the Lakers. Jordan has the most finals MVP Awards, having won it every year during the Chicago Bulls' two three-peats.