NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

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The National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player Award is presented to the player who has exhibited exceptional play during an NBA Finals series. The award typically goes to a player on the winning team, though when it was first awarded to Jerry West in 1969, his Los Angeles Lakers' team lost to the Boston Celtics. This was the only year that the award went to a player whose team did not win the championship.

The award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, until a smaller trophy was introduced in 2005 and presented to the Finals MVP, Tim Duncan.

Contents

[edit] All-time award winners

The following is a list of the all-time Finals Most Valuable Players.[1] Michael Jordan has won the award 6 times to lead all players. Magic Johnson is the youngest player and only rookie to be named the Finals MVP at the age of 20 years in the 1980 NBA Finals. The only three non-American-born stars to win the award are Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria in 1994 and 1995), Tim Duncan (Virgin Islands in 1999, 2003 and 2005) and Tony Parker (France in 2007), though Parker was the only awardee who was not an American citizen at the time.

Year Player Team
2008 Flag of ? TBD TBD
2007 Flag of France Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs
2006 Flag of the United States Dwyane Wade Miami Heat
2005 Flag of the United States Virgin Islands Flag of the United States Tim Duncan (3) San Antonio Spurs
2004 Flag of the United States Chauncey Billups Detroit Pistons
2003 Flag of the United States Virgin Islands Flag of the United States Tim Duncan (2) San Antonio Spurs
2002 Flag of the United States Shaquille O'Neal (3) Los Angeles Lakers
2001 Flag of the United States Shaquille O'Neal (2) Los Angeles Lakers
2000 Flag of the United States Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers
1999 Flag of the United States Virgin Islands Flag of the United States Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs
1998 Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (6) Chicago Bulls
1997 Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (5) Chicago Bulls
1996 Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (4) Chicago Bulls
1995 Flag of Nigeria Flag of the United States Hakeem Olajuwon (2) Houston Rockets
1994 Flag of Nigeria Flag of the United States Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets
1993 Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (3) Chicago Bulls
1992 Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (2) Chicago Bulls
1991 Flag of the United States Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls
1990 Flag of the United States Isiah Thomas Detroit Pistons
1989 Flag of the United States Joe Dumars Detroit Pistons
1988 Flag of the United States James Worthy Los Angeles Lakers
1987 Flag of the United States Magic Johnson (3) Los Angeles Lakers
1986 Flag of the United States Larry Bird (2) Boston Celtics
1985 Flag of the United States Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2) Los Angeles Lakers
1984 Flag of the United States Larry Bird Boston Celtics
1983 Flag of the United States Moses Malone Philadelphia 76ers
1982 Flag of the United States Magic Johnson (2) Los Angeles Lakers
1981 Flag of the United States Cedric Maxwell Boston Celtics
1980 Flag of the United States Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers
1979 Flag of the United States Dennis Johnson Seattle SuperSonics
1978 Flag of the United States Wes Unseld Washington Bullets
1977 Flag of the United States Bill Walton Portland Trail Blazers
1976 Flag of the United States Jo Jo White Boston Celtics
1975 Flag of the United States Rick Barry Golden State Warriors
1974 Flag of the United States John Havlicek Boston Celtics
1973 Flag of the United States Willis Reed (2) New York Knicks
1972 Flag of the United States Wilt Chamberlain Los Angeles Lakers
1971 Flag of the United States Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Milwaukee Bucks
1970 Flag of the United States Willis Reed New York Knicks
1969 Flag of the United States Jerry West Los Angeles Lakers

† = Losing Team

[edit] Multiple honors

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ nba.com, Finals Most Valuable Player, accessed June 15, 2007.