The NBA Finals MVP (officially the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is decided by a panel of media members, based solely on a player’s performance in the Finals series. It is a separate award from the regular-season MVP: the Finals MVP covers at most seven games, the MVP covers all 82.
Who votes?
Traditionally an 11-member panel of broadcasters and writers casts a ballot after the Finals. Votes are weighted by rank (a first-place vote counts as one point); the player with the most points wins.
How the vote works (after the Finals)
- On the night the deciding Finals game ends, roughly 11 traveling media panelists each submit a single first-choice ballot.
- Each first-place vote counts as one point; the player with the most points wins.
- The result is announced at the trophy ceremony immediately after the clinching game.
- In a tie, the league applies its tie-break rule (usually the distribution of second-choice votes).
Criteria
The rule only asks for the “most valuable player” of the Finals — there is no hard statistical threshold. That is why the only Finals MVP from the losing team (Jerry West, 1969) and the only non-starter to win (Andre Iguodala, 2015) exist.
Historical timeline
- 1969 — The award is established; first winner Jerry West (Lakers, from the losing team) — still the only Finals MVP from a defeated side.
- 1980 — Magic Johnson, as a rookie, slides to center for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and wins Finals MVP.
- 1991–1998 — Michael Jordan wins six Finals MVPs across two three-peats, cementing the modern view of the Finals as a personal stage.
- 2009 — The award is officially named for Bill Russell — the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
- 2015 — Andre Iguodala becomes the only non-starter ever to win Finals MVP (key defender in Golden State’s “Death Lineup”).
- 2020 — In the bubble Finals, LeBron James wins his fourth, tying Duncan, Magic and Shaq, behind only Jordan’s six.
Controversial cases explained
The subjective nature of the vote means the award is debated almost every year. The most-cited cases:
- 1969 West: the only MVP from the losing side — a historic 37.9 PPG series despite the Lakers falling 3-4 to Boston, won unanimously.
- 2005 Duncan vs Ginóbili: San Antonio won, Duncan took it, yet many felt Ginóbili had the larger impact — the classic stats-vs-eye-test debate.
- 2015 Iguodala: Curry was the MVP and face of the Warriors, yet the Finals MVP went to Iguodala for locking down the opponent — still one of the biggest debates.
| Note | Player | Year | Why it’s special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only MVP from losing team | 杰里·韦斯特 | 1969 | Lakers lost 3-4 yet won unanimously |
| Only non-starter MVP | 安德烈·伊戈达拉 | 2015 | Key defender in Golden State’s Death Lineup |
| Rookie winner | 魔术师约翰逊 | 1980 | Slid to center in a title-clinching game |
| Most wins | 迈克尔·乔丹 | 1991 | Six Finals MVPs, all-time leader |
History
First awarded in 1969 and renamed for Bill Russell in 2009, the award has grown in global visibility as broadcasting and analytics matured after 2000. Today the FMVP conversation now starts before the series even ends.
Related: All-time Finals MVP list · Finals MVP vs regular-season MVP