page_title: NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
section_title: Winners
hierarchical_section_title: NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award / Winners
caption_attribution_description: LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on November 21, 2014 in Washington, DC.
context_page_description: The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award. The award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, until a new trophy was introduced in 2005 to commemorate Bill Russell.
  Since its inception, the award has been given to 31 players. Michael Jordan is a record six-time award winner. Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James won the award three times in their careers. Jordan and O'Neal are the only players to win the award in three consecutive seasons. Johnson is the only rookie ever to win the award, as well as the youngest at 20 years old. Andre Iguodala is the only winner to have not started every game in the series. Jerry West, the first-ever awardee, is the only person to win the award while being on the losing team in the NBA Finals.
caption: LeBron James (pictured), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Kawhi Leonard are the only players to win the award for two teams.
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