Watch Jalen Brunson’s Game 5 performance in the 2026 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a> They are all winners on the biggest stage, carving out a legacy and are immortalized in the process.<\/p>\n They are the NBA Finals MVPs<\/a>, players who weren\u2019t spooked by the challenge, didn\u2019t blink at the bright lights. Players who were crowned twice \u2014 with the championship trophy and also the highest individual honor of the series.<\/p>\n Given that the award has gone to a player on the championship team with one exception \u2014 Jerry West in 1969 \u2014 a case can be made that the Finals MVP holds as much, if not more, prestige as the regular-season MVP.<\/p>\n In the history of the Finals, the MVP has mainly gone to players who populated the 50th<\/a> and 75th anniversary teams<\/a> and are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. However, there are a sprinkling of unsung players who captured the award as well, including Cedric Maxwell of the Boston Celtics in 1981 and Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors in 2015.<\/p>\n Usually, the criteria used by voters to weigh the worthy candidates are dominated by these two factors:<\/p>\n \u2022 Dominance: How effective was the player in his particular series? How many of his signature moments \u2014 plays, shots, games, etc. \u2014 impacted the outcome and gave him a highlight that\u2019ll be replayed forever? And what about the quality of the opponent he needed to slay?<\/p>\n \u2022 Value to his team:\u00a0This is important. Did he carry the load, or a hefty share of it, almost by himself through long stretches and for multiple games? And how efficient was he doing so?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a snapshot of the last 10 winners and what they did to win the vote \u2014 and the championship, of course:<\/p>\n 2026: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 32.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.6 apg<\/p>\n His case: Brunson wasn\u2019t sharp for the entire series, not until the closeout game against the Spurs. But he was at his sharpest when it mattered. Brunson delivered a crucial fourth-quarter basket in all four Knicks victories, plus his Game 5 was one of the best scoring closeouts ever.<\/p>\n In that game, he scored 45 points, 15 in the fourth quarter and 13 in a row, while his teammates either struggled or dealt with foul trouble. Also, the Spurs\u2019 defense was designed mainly to stop him, even assigning 7-foot-4 center Victor Wembanyama to the chore. Brunson broke the code anyway, impressive for a player who\u2019s just over 6-1.<\/p>\n 2025: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 30.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.6 apg<\/p>\n His case: He ran the table on all the major awards that season, copping the MVPs in the regular season and conference final. In the championship round, it was more of the same from Gilgeous-Alexander, who excelled in the mid-range and had the Pacers on high alert for seven games.<\/p>\n His 38 points in Game 1 were the third-most by a player in his Finals debut, after Allen Iverson and George Mikan. He did so in a losing cause, however, yet followed up with 34 points to pass Iverson for most points in a player\u2019s first two Finals games.<\/p>\n 2024: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 20.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 7.2 apg<\/p>\n His case: Brown only led his team in scoring once (22 in the opener) in this series, and teammate Jayson Tatum had higher averages almost across the board. But Brown\u2019s play at both ends against Dallas was the difference, especially while defending Luka Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n Brown held Don\u010di\u0107 (just 24.4% shooting from deep) in check for the most part. Also, Brown was a more efficient shooter than Tatum (38.8%), who struggled at times.<\/p>\n 2023: Nikola Joki\u0107, Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 30.2 ppg, 14 rpg, 7.2 apg<\/p>\n His case: Just as he had during his epic regular season, Joki\u0107 carried the Nuggets with his multifaceted skills, enabling him to leave his fingerprints everywhere. He opened the series with a triple-double and excelled from there in the five-game series against Miami.<\/p>\n Also consider his efficiency<\/a> \u2014 58.3% from the floor, 42.1% from the 3-point line \u2014 along with his precise passing and it was no surprise Joki\u0107 elevated his play above all others. He went against Bam Adebayo, then and now among the league\u2019s better defenders.<\/p>\n 2022: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 31.2 ppg, 6 rpg, 5 apg<\/p>\n His case: In his previous three championship wins, Curry never won Finals MVP. Even Andre Iguodala had more. In those cases, Curry didn\u2019t play his absolute best basketball, and twice he had the misfortune \u2014 or rather fortune \u2014 to have Kevin Durant as a teammate; KD was better in those Finals and won a pair of MVPs.<\/p>\n But on his fourth try, Curry was king. Even more, the Warriors needed his best. Durant left a few years earlier for Brooklyn. Also, Klay Thompson struggled since returning from injury; he was still solid in stretches yet no longer on the same splash level as Curry.<\/p>\n Curry dropped 43 points to even the series with Boston at 2-2, then had 34 in the elimination game.<\/p>\n 2021: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n Relive all of the jaw-dropping, iconic, and historic moments from the Giannis unforgettable 2021 NBA Finals!<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 35.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 5 apg<\/p>\n His case: After the Bucks lost twice to the Phoenix Suns to open the series \u2014 losing Game 2 despite 42 points from Antetokounmpo \u2014 he went on a rampage. It was a conquering stretch and his 50-piece in the closeout<\/a> performance was the chef\u2019s kiss.<\/p>\n Antetokounmpo was a terror at both ends, and two highlight plays remain a thriller to this day.<\/p>\n First was his amazing defensive stop in Game 4. With just over one minute remaining and the Bucks ahead by just two points, Antetokounmpo was guarding outside the paint, then swiftly retreated to block an alley-oop dunk attempt by Deandre Ayton that would\u2019ve tied the game. Then, in Game 5, his dunk off a lob from Jrue Holiday gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead<\/a>. Antetokounmpo did this while playing on a knee that was hyperextended in the conference finals.<\/p>\n 2020: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n LeBron James leads the way as the Lakers clinch the 2020 NBA title in Game 6.<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 29.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 8.5 apg<\/p>\n His case: This wasn\u2019t his Mona Lisa in the championship round. His 2016 run was more stirring because he was up against the record-setting Warriors and had to rally the Cavs from a 3-1 deficit<\/a>. Also, in 2017, LeBron became the first player to average a triple-double in the Finals, but it was a losing cause. Still, his performance in the Disney Bubble was impressive. And it would rank higher on this Ladder if not for Anthony Davis\u2019 presence, who provided massive help to LeBron against Miami.<\/p>\n Anyway, LeBron captured his fourth Finals MVP (with three different franchises) in smashing fashion once again. He led the Lakers in scoring, rebounding and assists and shot 59.1% during this series. And his triple-double in the closeout Game 6 sealed it.<\/p>\n 2019: Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors<\/p>\n Relive the best moments from the Raptors’ run to the 2019 NBA title.<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 28.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.2 apg<\/p>\n His case: Acquired by the Raptors in the summer of 2018<\/a>, landing Leonard was a dice roll by Toronto because of his injury history and pending free agency. Still, it was well worth the gamble because Kawhi once again leveled up in the Finals (he had won Finals MVP in 2014<\/a> with the Spurs).<\/p>\n What a difference maker. Leonard was up against the Warriors, and while Golden State played the series virtually without Kevin Durant, the Raptors were at an experience disadvantage. Kawhi brought that winning pedigree from San Antonio and his all-around play brought Toronto its first title.<\/p>\n 2018: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 28.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 7.5 apg<\/p>\n His case: The Warriors swept the Cavs, making Durant\u2019s second Finals MVP without much drama. But that\u2019s partly because he was dominant in the four games and especially when it mattered. In a bit of deja vu, he had a Game 3 dagger over James with 50 seconds left to give the Warriors a 106-100 lead in nearly the same spot<\/a> as he did a year prior. His 43 points in that game were needed as Curry and Klay Thompson were chilly, with Curry missing 13 of his first 14 shots.<\/p>\n 2017: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n Finals stats:<\/a> 35.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.4 apg<\/p>\n His case: That Durant was the unanimous winner of the award while playing next to Curry says all you need to know. Not only that, but he was the best player on a floor shared with LeBron. This was the first of his two Finals MVPs with the Warriors.<\/p>\n His go-ahead Game 3 dagger from deep over LeBron with 45 seconds left was the signature moment. He led the team in scoring every game of this series and dropped at least 30 points in each of them. The closeout was a scoring duel with LeBron; KD had 39 points to LeBron\u2019s 41 and the Warriors won by nine.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0spowell@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Watch Jalen Brunson’s Game 5 performance in the 2026 NBA Finals. \u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App\u2022\u00a0Complete coverage:\u00a02026 NBA Finals…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[296279,355,99],"class_list":["post-707747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-finals-mvp-ladder","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2022\u00a0Complete coverage:\u00a02026 NBA Finals<\/a><\/p>\n