The MVP and Finals MVP awards are the two most coveted individual awards in an NBA season. Of course, the ultimate goal should be to bring home an NBA championship by any means necessary. It can mean a bit more to a player if they are crowned the best in the league for that season or the best player on the biggest stage in basketball, the NBA Finals. Today’s discussion will be about the NBA players who have won both the MVP and Finals MVP, the most times combined, crowning the ultimate GOAT in the end.
It can be argued that the players below are the most impactful in NBA history. Wherever you wish to rank them on an all-time scale, the fact is that they were the most outstanding players on some of the most successful teams in NBA history. These NBA greats impacted their respective teams more than any other players in NBA history and delivered championships, and rewrote the history books along the way. There are a few exceptions, such as the players who have only secured regular-season success with MVP awards but fell short of achieving success in the NBA playoffs. Those players are few and far between, as most of the players you see below are towards the top of most all-time rankings. Last week, I discussed the NBA players with the most awards and trophies of all time, but today, we focus on the most important ones.
These are the NBA players who have won the most combined MVP and Finals MVP awards.
Tier 7 – 2 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
Dirk Nowitzki, Kawhi Leonard, Bill Walton, Wes Unseld, Steve Nash, Bob Pettit, Karl Malone, Nikola Jokic
We get Tier Seven started off with the players who have each won a total of two combined MVP and Finals MVP awards. Dirk Nowitzki is one of the great power forwards to ever play the game and secured one of each achievement in his 20-year career with the Dallas Mavericks. In 2007, Nowitzki earned his only career MVP award one season after leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. He averaged 24.6 PPG and 8.9 RPG on 50/40/90 splits leading Dallas to 67 wins. In 2011, Nowitzki led the Mavericks to their first and only NBA championship and was awarded the Finals MVP award with 26.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG in an upset win over the Miami Heat.
Kawhi Leonard makes Tier Seven for his two big-time Finals MVP performances in his career. In 2014, Leonard was named Finals MVP with the Spurs when he helped take down LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Leonard was rewarded for his smothering defensive effort on James in the victory. Leonard would join the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and deliver the franchise’s only championship. Along with big plays and buzzer-beaters along the way, Leonard helped Toronto defeat the Warriors in the NBA Finals in six games. Leonard was awarded Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.2 BPG.
Bill Walton inserts his name into the fold with both a Finals MVP and MVP award in his career. In 1977, Walton and the Trail Blazers finished with a 49-33 record but cruised in the NBA playoffs to a Finals matchup with Julius Erving and the 76ers. Walton would lead the Trail Blazers to victory in the series in six games and claim Finals MVP with 18.5 PPG, 19.0 RPG, and 3.7 BPG. The very next season, Walton would lead Portland to 58 wins and win the only MVP award of his career with 18.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.5 BPG.
Wes Unseld is an anomaly in this case as he is both one of the lowest-scoring MVPs and Finals MVPs of all time. In his rookie season with the Baltimore Bullets, Wes Unseld did something not many Players in NBA history have done, won the MVP award. He averaged 13.8 PPG and 18.2 RPG while playing some of the best interior defense in the NBA. An entire 10 seasons later, in 1978, Unseld and teammate Elvin Hayes led the Bullets to the NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics. Due to a massively important Game Seven performance and defensive impact, Unseld led the Bullets to a win in the Finals over Seattle. He won the Finals MVP award with just 9.0 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and 3.9 APG.
Steve Nash is probably the best player on this list that is without an NBA championship. Nash makes it to Tier Seven based on his back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns. In 2005, Nash led the Suns to a 62-20 record while averaging 15.5 PPG and a league-leading 11.5 APG on nearly 50/40/90 splits. The following season, Nash would lead the Suns to 54 wins and averaged 18.8 PPG and a league-leading 10.5 APG and reaching the 50/40/90 mark this time around.
Bob Pettit is another player in Tier Seven due to two MVP awards in his career. Although, he may have been higher had the Finals MVP award been around in his day. Pettit led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship and is the only man to take down Bill Russell in the NBA Finals. Pettit won his first MVP award in 1956, his second season, averaging a league-leading 25.7 PPG and 16.2 RPG. Three seasons later, Pettit would win his second MVP award when he led the NBA in scoring again with 29.2 PPG and grabbed 12.2 RPG.
The next two players on this list are two players who are members of the regular season MVP club with no NBA championships to their name. The first of these players is Karl Malone, who scored the third-most points in NBA history and took the Utah Jazz to two NBA Finals appearances in his career. Malone won both the 1997 and 1999 MVP awards as the leading scorer of the 90s decade, and one of the most consistent power forwards ever. In each of his NBA seasons, Malone averaged over 23.5 PPG and 9.4 RPG.
The final member of Tier Seven is the reigning two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic. By this time next season, we could have Jokic placed even higher on this pyramid as he is set to become one of the few players to win three straight MVP awards in 2022-23. Jokic won both his MVP awards after leading the Denver Nuggets to playoff appearances after losing teammates to severe injuries. Jokic became one of the league’s best playmakers overall over the last four seasons. In 2022-23, Jokic is averaging a triple-double and is the odds-on favorite for yet another MVP award. Can he add a Finals MVP to that resume?
Tier 6 – 3 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Willis Reed
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and played a major part in five NBA championships during his time there. In 2008, Bryant was awarded the first and only MVP award in his career, although he probably deserved more for his outstanding play over time. After a Finals Loss in 2008, Bryant would lead the Lakers to back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. After Bryant was named Finals MVP in both wins over the Magic and Celtics, it solidified his legacy as one of the greatest players ever.
Hakeem Olajuwon, much like Kobe Bryant, is another player who took home two Finals MVP awards and one MVP award in his career. In 1994, Hakeem Olajuwon had a near-perfect season when he took home the Defensive Player of the Year, MVP award, and took home the Finals MVP award when his Rockets took down the Knicks in seven games in the Finals. In 1995, Olajuwon led the Rockets to their second straight NBA title with a sweep of the Magic in the Finals. Hakeem was named Finals MVP with 32.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 2.0 BPG.
Stephen Curry is the consensus greatest shooter of the ball in NBA history. Curry would win his first MVP award in 2015 with the Warriors as he led the team to 67 wins and an NBA championship. In 2016, he became the only unanimous MVP in NBA history as he led the Warriors to 73 wins and averaged 30.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.7 APG, and 2.1 SPG. In 2022, Curry and the Warriors would earn their fourth title in eight seasons as they defeated the Celtics in six games. Curry was finally awarded the Finals MVP, which had eluded him so far in his career and solidified his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
Kevin Durant has earned his fair share of MVP and Finals MVP awards, with his first one coming in 2014. With the Thunder in 2014, Durant would win his fourth scoring title with 32.0 PPG on 50.3% shooting. In 2017 and 2018, Durant would help the Warriors win back-to-back NBA championships over the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. In 2017, Durant earned the award with a 35.2 PPG and 8.2 RPG. In 2018, the Warriors swept the Cavaliers when Durant averaged 28.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 7.5 APG.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is still in the prime of his career, so the fact he is already in Tier Six is a testament to how good he really is. Giannis went back-to-back as an MVP in both 2019 and 2020 and most likely should have a third one on his mantle, but voter fatigue robbed him of that. He would have the last laugh in 2021, however, as the Bucks would go on to win their first NBA title in 50 years. Giannis stole the show during the Finals as he would average 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 1.8 BPG in a six-game series win over the Suns.
The final member of Tier Six is Willis Reed of the New York Knicks. Reed would earn both the MVP award and Finals MVP award in 1970 as he took down Wilt Chamberlain and the Lakers in the Finals despite a leg injury that kept him out of Game Six. In 1973, Reed would lead the Knicks to their second NBA championship over the Lakers once again. Reed would average 16.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG in the series, along with tremendous defense played on Wilt Chamberlain. Although his Finals MVPs can be argued for Walt Frazier, Reed lands on this list in Tier Six nonetheless.
Tier 5 – 4 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
Shaquille O’Neal, Moses Malone
In the early 2000s, there was no better or more dominant player in the NB than Shaquille O’Neal. His ascension to the top began in 2000 when he won the only MVP award of his career and then proceeded to take the Lakers to and through the NBA Finals, earning the Finals MVP award. Over the next two seasons, O’Neal would have one of the best peaks in NBA history. He would help the Lakers become just the third team to three-peat since The Celtics of the 1960s and win both Finals MVPs to add to the one he earned in 2000.
Moses Malone is easily one of the most underrated players to ever lace up his shoes in the NBA. Malone was a two-time MVP with the Houston Rockets in 1979 and 1982. Malone’s best season would be in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76ers. Malone would win the MVP award in his first season in Philadelphia, averaging 24.5 PPG, 15.3 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. Malone would lead the 76ers to an NBA championship in a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Malone was awarded Finals MVP honors with 25.8 PPG, 18.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.5 BPG. His three MVPs are still among the most by any one player in NBA history.
Tier 4 – 5 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Bill Russell, WIlt Chamberlain
The next tier features four Top 10 players in NBA history, as does the remainder of this list. Kicking things off with five combined MVP and Finals MVP awards is Larry Legend or Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics. Bird earned all five of these awards between 1984 and 1986 when the Celtics were going toe-to-toe with the beloved Showtime Lakers for the best team in the 80s. He won three straight MVP awards during this time while delivering two championships to Boston. He was named Finals MVP of the 1984 and 1986 NBA Finals as well, giving him five total MVP and Finals MVP awards.
Tim Duncan began to add his name to this tier of multi-time winners at a very early stage in his NBA career. He would take home his first Finals MVP award in 1999 when he led the Spurs to their first NBA championship over the Knicks. He would win his first MVP award in 2002 and followed it up with a second Finals MVP in 2003. As well as a second MVP award. In 2005, Duncan helped the Spurs take down the defending champion Piston in the NBA Finals for his third Finals MVP award in eight seasons.
Bill Russell is the greatest winner in NBA history. Russell would lead the Boston Celtics to 11 championships in 13 seasons in the NBA during the 50s and 60s. Russell would probably be much higher on this list had the Finals MVP actually existed during his day, and he wasn’t robbed of the one Finals MVP he was eligible for in his career. Russell took home five MVP awards in his career, voted on by the players as the best rebounder, defender, and winner in the NBA during his era.
The final member of Tier Four is the late, great Wilt Chamberlain. The statistical dominance of Wilt is the stuff of legend in NBA history, as he owns the second-highest career PPG in NBA history and a trove of NBA scoring and rebounding records. During his amazing career, Chamberlain was awarded four MVP awards for his offensive dominance over other stars. In 1972, Chamberlain helped the Lakers take down the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals for his second career NBA championship. Wilt was awarded Finals MVP of the series averaging 19.4 PPG and 23.2 RPG.
Tier 3 – 6 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is the only player in NBA history with exactly six combined MVP and Finals MVP awards. He got started as a rookie with his incredible performance in Game Six of the NBA Finals in 1980, where he filled in for Kareem and delivered an NBA title for the Lakers. Magic would go on to lead the Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s, winning three Finals MVP awards. In 1990, Magic would win his third MVP award and the following season, Magic would lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Tier 2 – 8 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
It makes more than enough sense for the Top Three players in NBA history to be the Top Three players on this list. Tied for the second-most MVP and Finals MVP awards combined are LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. LeBron has been the Finals MVP for all four of his NBA championship wins, which he has done with three different teams throughout his career. He has also earned four MVP awards as a member of the Cavaliers and Heat in his career, including back-to-back MVP seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Kareem’s resume is a bit more uneven than LeBron’s as far as these two awards go. Kareem has won an NBA record six MVP awards in his career, with just two Finals MVPs to his name. Kareem won his first Finals MVP award in 1971 when he led the Bucks to their first NBA championship in franchise history. The next time he would be named Finals MVP would be 15 seasons later, in 1985, when he helped the lakers win one of their five championships during the 1980s. Kareem retired as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, which stood for nearly 39 years until it was broken by LeBron James in 2023.
Tier 1 – 11 MVP And Finals MVP Awards
Michael Jordan
Did you expect anybody else? The greatest player in NBA history, Michael Jordan, won a total of 11 combined MVP and Finals MVP awards in his career and is the only player from Tier Five on to have won a Defensive Player of the Year award as well. Jordan won his first MVP in 1988 and secure his fifth and final MVP in 1988. From 1991 thru 1993, Jordan led the Bulls to three straight NBA championships while claiming all three Finals MVPs in the process. After a brief hiatus from the game, Jordan would do it again from 1996 thru 1998, leading the Bulls to a second three-peat and once again winning all three Finals MVP awards setting an NBA record with six.
Source: fadeawayworld
