Arguably the most meaningful award given out by the NBA every season is the Finals MVP award. Winning a Finals MVP award is something that can make or break an NBA player’s legacy on an all-time scale. It means not only did a player lead his team to an NBA championship, but it also means that said player had the most impactful performance in the NBA Finals to win the Finals MVP. To me, there would be nothing that meant more than being the guy everyone looked at as the main reason their team won an NBA championship.
Recently, we discussed the most recent MVP winner from every NBA team. Today, we dive a bit more in-depth and speak about the last Finals MVP in every team’s history. Now, clearly, there will be many teams who are not represented on this list due to the absence of an NBA championship for their franchise. There will also be players who show up on this list more than once as they impressively led multiple franchises to the promised land of an NBA title. Get ready to take a trip back in time and relive some of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history.
These are the last Finals MVPs from every NBA team.
Atlanta Hawks – No Finals MVP
Brooklyn Nets- No Finals MVP
Boston Celtics – Paul Pierce
2008 Finals MVP Stats: 21.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
It’s hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the Boston Celtics have reigned supreme as NBA champions. For most of the 2000s, the Celtics were either right on the cusp of greatness or so bad they ended up selecting toward the top of the NBA Draft. Through all of it stood one man, Paul Pierce. He joined the Celtics back in 1998 as their 10th overall draft choice from Kansas. Leading up to 2008, Pierce had earned five All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections as well as the adoration and respect of Celtics fans everywhere.
In the 2008 offseason, Celtics GM Danny Ainge would bring Pierce the help he so desperately needed to make a serious run at an NBA championship. Now armed with Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, the Celtics were ready. They would win 66 games during the regular season and cruise to the NBA Finals for a meeting with Kobe Bryant and their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Pierce would be the catalyst for victory, doing a bit of everything that needed to be done in order to bring home an NBA title back to Boston. The Celtics would defeat the Lakers in six games, with Pierce averaging 21.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG to seal the victory. As Boston’s leading scorer for the series, he was awarded the first and only Finals MVP of his career.
Charlotte Hornets – No Finals MVP
Chicago Bulls – Michael Jordan
1998 Finals MVP Stats: 33.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG
The Chicago Bulls are one of the winningest franchises in NBA history. With six NBA championships, the Bulls rank fourth in NBA history behind only the Celtics, Lakers, and Warriors. Unlike those franchises, the Chicago Bulls have only ever had one Finals MVP winner in their franchise’s history, Michael Jordan. By 1998, Michael Jordan had already established himself as the greatest player in NBA history, looking for the second three-peat as NBA champion of his career.
The 1997-98 season was highly publicized due to the public nature in which the organization let it be known which direction they were going. With the core of five NBA championships on their way out, Jordan and the Bulls dubbed this their “Last Dance,” and the rest is history. For the second straight season, Jordan led the Bulls to an NBA Finals matchup with the Utah Jazz. In typical Jordan fashion, he dominated the series offensively while delivering signature moments to seal the deal. With a steal from Karl Malone and a jumper over Bryon Russell, Jordan had won his sixth NBA championship and NBA-record sixth Finals MVP award.
Cleveland Cavaliers – LeBron James
2016 NBA Finals Stats: 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 8.9 APG, 2.6 SPG, 2.3 BPG
There has only been one NBA championship in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers and it is possibly the most incredible out of all of the championships in NBA history. LeBron James had returned to Cleveland one year prior to this championship run looking to make good on the promise he made to the City of Cleveland as a young man. That promise was to deliver an NBA championship to a city of fans who had suffered far too long without a title from any major sports franchise that called Cleveland home.
The 2016 NBA Finals would be a rematch of the 2015 series that saw the 73-9 Golden State Warriors take on the Cavaliers led by James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. After falling down 3-1 in the series, James and Irving found something special and would each contribute to what happened next. The Cavaliers would win three games in a row to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals and capture their first title. James would record 41 points and 16 rebounds in Game 5, 41 points and 11 assists in Game 6, and 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in Game 7 to lead the way and capture his third Finals MVP award in the greatest upset in NBA history.
Dallas Mavericks – Dirk Nowitzki
2011 Finals MVP Stats: 26.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Leading up to the 2011 season, the narrative had begun to shift about Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Everyone knew that Nowitzki was a tremendous regular season player and a former MVP of the league. After a blown lead in the 2006 Finals and a 2007 MVP season that saw him choke away a first-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors, everyone also knew that Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks disappeared when it mattered most. However, that entire perception would change after the 2011 season concluded.
In an incredible postseason run, Nowitzki led his team to victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the two-time defending champion Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and their opponents in the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat. The Heat were led by their newly-formed superstar trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh and built a 2-1 lead heading into Game 4. Nowitzki would go for 29 points in Game 4, 29 points in Game 5, and 21 points in Game 6 to pull off the upset and capture the only NBA championship in Mavericks history. It was the perfect way for Nowitzki to get the proverbial monkey off his back and become the only Finals MVP in Mavericks history.
Denver Nuggets – No Finals MVP
Detroit Pistons – Chauncey Billups
2004 NBA Finals Stats: 21.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Truth be told, the 2004 Finals MVP could have gone to any of the five starters that took the floor for them. They were that complete of a team with the best defense in basketball played on a team level. During the regular season, they went 54-28 while having the second-highest-rated defense and just the 18th-rated offense. Billups was the clear offensive leader with 16.9 PPG and 5.7 APG, but Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince all played a significant role in this NBA championship.
During the 2004 playoffs, the Pistons took care of the Bucks, Nets, and Pacers to advance to the Finals against the Lakers, who were led by Shaq, Kobe, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone seeking their fourth title in five years. The defensive effort of the Pistons and offensive output from Billuops and Hamilton would prove to be far too much for L.A. as Detroit went on to win the title in five games. Billups would average 21.0 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.2 SPG to win Finals MVP and bring Detroit their first championship since 1990.
Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry
2022 NBA Finals Stats: 31.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
The fact that Stephen Curry didn’t have a Finals MVP for any of his first three championships with the Golden State Warriors did not have much effect on his legacy. He was already the greatest three-point shooter that the world has ever seen and a two-time MVP, one of them being the only unanimous MVP in NBA history. Another narrative was beginning to take shape for the 2022 season though that didn’t sit right with Curry or his teammates. Many believed that the Warriors’ run as champions was done and the dynasty days were over. Boy, were they ever wrong.
The 2022 NBA playoffs started off with the Warriors flying under the radar. Soon, Stephen Curry would have them front and center as the odds-on favorite. They went through the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Mavericks fairly easily before matching up with the Celtics in the NBA Finals. This series would belong to Curry who would finish with 31.2 PPG on 48.2% shooting overall and 43.7% shooting from three on nearly 12.0 attempts. In Game 6, Curry sealed his fourth championship and first Finals MVP with 34 points on 6-11 shooting from three.
Houston Rockets – Hakeem Olajuwon
1995 Finals MVP Stats: 32.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 2.0 BPG
In the mid-1990s, the NBA was thrown into chaos when Michael Jordan abruptly announced his retirement in 1994. Players around the league breathed a sigh of relief as everyone knew their chance of winning an NBA championship had just increased tenfold. However, one player would rise above the rest as the best in the world during these two seasons, winning back-to-back NBA championships and consecutive Finals MVP awards to top it all off. Hakeem Olajuwon would lead the Houston Rockets to basketball immortality during the 1994 and 1995 seasons in dominant fashion as both an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
After a 1994 season that saw the Rockets win their first championship led by Hakeem, the 1995 season started off a bit rocky before they went out and acquired Clyde Drexler from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Rockets hit the ground running in the NBA playoffs with Olajuwon taking no prisoners on his way to another NBA Finals. In the Finals, Olajuwon would take on a young Shaquille O’Neal in a true master-teaches-the-student moment. Olajuwon and the Rockets would dominate O’Neal and the Magic in four games behind another ridiculous stat line from Hakeem with 32.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, and 2.0 BPG on 48.3% shooting.
Indiana Pacers – No Finals MVP
Los Angeles Clippers – No Finals MVP
Los Angeles Lakers – LeBron James
2020 Finals MVP Stats: 29.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG
The 2020 NBA season was like no other in the history of the sport. As teams were gearing up for the late-season playoff push, the season was abruptly suspended due to the increasing spread of the Covid-19 virus. On the basketball side of things, it was also the first regular season in quite some time that LeBron James had missed the playoffs in the year prior, which prompted the Lakers to go out and get Anthony Davis to form one of the NBA’s best duos. The Lakers would go 52-19 through 71 games before the season ended and 12-3 in the playoffs when things picked up again in Orlando after the restart.
Standing between LeBron James and his fourth career NBA championship was Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. The Lakers would build a quick 2-0 series lead behind 25-point and 33-point games from LeBron as well as big games from Davis. After a Game 3 loss, James led the way with 28 points and 12 rebounds to bring the Lakers within one game of the championship. After another loss in Game 5, James would bring the title home for L.A. with a 28-point, 14-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double. It was James’ fourth career MVP and the 17th championship in Los Angeles Lakers history.
Memphis Grizzlies – No Finals MVP
Miami Heat – LeBron James
2013 Finals MVP Stats: 25.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG
It is very important to remember that any time we are speaking about the version of LeBron James from 2011 thru 2014, we are speaking about, in my opinion, the best version of him that we have ever seen. He was at his most complete that he’s ever been both offensively and defensively and the results were extraordinary. The 2012-13 season would mark the fourth MVP season of James’ career as he averaged 26.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.3 APG, and 1.7 SPG while playing defense worthy of an All-Defensive First Team selection.
During the NBA playoffs, the Heat would go 12-5 in series wins over the Bucks, Bulls, and Pacers to advance to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The two teams would engage in a classic Finals series that lasted seven games and was filled with critical momentum swings as well as classic clutch moments. In Game 7, LeBron turned in a 37-point, 12-rebound, 2-steal performance to win his second straight championship and second straight Finals MVP award. The two teams would meet again in the NBA Finals in 2014, with the Spurs getting their revenge in five games led by Kawhi Leonard.
Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo
2021 Finals MVP Stats: 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.8 BPG
As it stands, and even with an unceremonious first-round exit in 2023, Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. Part of why he is considered to be the best player in the world is the way in which he led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship just two seasons ago. Giannis fought through adversity and injury en route to his first NBA championship, sealing it in one of the most dominant Finals performances of the last 20 years.
As the Bucks were getting ready to take care of business against the Atlanta Hawks, Giannis suffered what looked to be a serious and nearly season-ending hyperextended knee in Game 4. As the Bucks headed into the Finals, Giannis’ health was in question, but he quickly wiped away any concern. As the Bucks fell down 2-0 in the series, Giannis was still showing signs of being the best player on the court. He recorded a 41-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 3 to get the Bucks on the board with a win and they would not lose from that point forward. Giannis saved his best performance for Game 6 as he poured in 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks to earn the Bucks their first championship since 1971. Giannis would average over 35.0 PPG on 61.8% shooting to win Finals MVP.
Minnesota Timberwolves – No Finals MVPNew Orleans Pelicans – No Finals MVPNew York Knicks – Willis Reed
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
1973 Finals MVP Stats: 16.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.6 APG
The New York Knicks have been one of the most popular and storied franchises in the NBA over the last 75-plus years. Even the biggest critics of the Knicks will have to admit that basketball is just more exciting when the Knicks are playing well. Unfortunately for the loyal Knicks fans old enough to live through it, the Knicks have been held without an NBA championship since 1973 when the team was led by Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and a cast of Hall of Famers who made them one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
The 1973 NBA Finals was a familiar matchup of rivals who had met previously in two NBA Finals, with each team claiming victory over the other once. In 1973, the Knicks would make quick and easy work of the Lakers in the Finals, with victory coming in just five games. Reed was among five players to average at least 15.0 PPG for the series while being the team’s second-leading rebounder and playing incredible defense on the Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain. The Knicks had won their rubber match with the Lakers and Redd had his second career Finals MVP award.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Dennis Johnson
1979 Finals MVP Stats: 22.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 2.2 BPG
To be completely fair, we do understand that the Oklahoma City Thunder did not win an NBA championship, the Seattle SuperSonics did back in 1979. However, considering the Thunder count Seattle’s statistics in their team records and recognize the SuperSonics as part of their history, so will we. In 1979, Seattle was coming off a heartbreaking series loss in the NBA Finals to the Washington Bullets. They would respond by winning 52 games and navigating the NBA playoffs for another chance at a title and revenge on the Bullets for the season before.
This series would be all about the duo of Dennis Johnson and Guss Williams. Johnson would do a little bit of everything on the court, including his incredible defensive effort, while averaging over 22.0 PPG. Williams contributed 29.0 PPG in the series as well as Seattle would capture the only championship they have ever won to this day. Johnson would also go on to contribute to two NBA championships with the Celtics during the 1980s but none meant more than the one he won for Seattle in 1979.
Orlando Magic – No Finals MVP
Philadelphia 76ers – Moses Malone
1983 Finals MVP Stats: 25.8 PPG, 18.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG
The 1983 season was a pivotal one in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers and the basketball legends who took the court for them. After dropping multiple chances to win an NBA championship in the years prior, which included 1982, the Sixers went out and acquired MVP Moses Malone to combine with their already talented roster. Malone responded to the move by winning MVP averaging 24.5 PPG and his fourth career resounding title with 15.3 RPG. The Sixers won 65 games and looked primed to face off with the Lakers once again with the NBA championship on the line.
The Sixers would defeat the Knicks and Bucks to advance to the NBA Finals against the Lakers with a different ending to the story in mind this time. Malone was incredible in Game 1 going for 27 points and 18 rebounds in a 6-point win. He went for 24 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2 and 28 points and 19 rebounds in Game 3 to build a 3-0 series lead on the shell-shocked Lakers. In Game 4, Malone would help the Sixers complete the sweep with 24 points and 23 rebounds to cement his status as one of the greatest centers and rebounders of his era as well as an NBA champion and Finals MVP. This allowed Malone to become one of the few players in NBA history to win MVP, a championship, and a Finals MVP in the same season.
Phoenix Suns – No Finals MVP
Portland Trail Blazers – Bill Walton
1977 Finals MVP Stats: 18.5 PPG, 19.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 3.7 BPG
The Portland Trail Blazers have only been named NBA champions one time in their franchise history and the disappointing thing is, it should be much more. In 1977, the Portland Trail Blazers were led by the incredible frontcourt of Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton. Lucas was a more offensively gifted power forward, while Walton was one of the best in the NBA at protecting the paint. Combined, Walton and Lucas would average 38.8 PPG and 25.8 RPG for the 1977 season, leading to 49 wins and a trip to the NBA playoffs.
The Trail Blazers would make their way to the NBA Finals fairly easily, which included a 4-0 sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Portland was set to take on a young Julius Erving and the 76ers in the NBA Finals, with Erving leading Philly to wins in Games 1 and 2. From there, Walton and Lucas took control of the series and led Portland to four straight wins and the only NBA championship in franchise history. Walton averaged 18.5 PPG, 19.0 RPG, and 3.7 BPG to earn Finals MVP honors while Lucas had 19.7 PPG and 10.7 RPG.
Sacramento Kings – No Finals MVP
San Antonio Spurs – Kawhi Leonard
2014 Finals MVP Stats: 17.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG
In 2014, the San Antonio Spurs were still reeling from their heartbreaking loss in the 2013 NBA Finals to the Miami Heat. As a franchise with such a history of winning, the Spurs would not let it keep them down for long as they had found a new two-way superstar in Kawhi Leonard who was the clear future of the franchise. San Antonio would win 62 games during the regular season and head back to the NBA Finals for a matchup with the Miami Heat, where things would go in a much different direction.
After letting the series slip away in 2013, the Spurs used their defensive weapon Kawhi on Miami’s best player, LeBron James, to take control from Game 1. James was visibly bothered by Leonard’s stifling defensive efforts and frustrated at each moment he saw Leonard come in the game to specifically combat him. Leonard’s defense would allow others’ offense to flourish alongside him and the Spurs dominated the series in five games. It would be the start of an incredible run by Leonard, who would win Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2015 and 2016 as well.
Toronto Raptors – Kawhi Leonard
2019 Finals MVP Stats: 28.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.2 BPG
Things would be much different than they had ever been before for Kawhi Leonard as he headed into the 2019 season. Things had ended poorly with the Spurs as Leonard felt his injury was mishandled by Spurs doctors while the organization stood on the fact they were right. When Leonard asked out, they accommodated his wishes and sent him up north to the Toronto Raptors. What happened next is something nobody saw coming.
Kawhi Leonard would channel his inner Michael Jordan for the next two months as the Raptors went on an incredible and improbable run to their first NBA championship. Leonard led the way in series wins over the Magic, 76ers, and Bucks, which included a ridiculous buzzer-beater in Game 7 of the second round against Philadelphia to win the series. The Raptors would meet the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for the right to be called NBA champions. With Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson injured, and Kawhi playing at the level he was, the Warriors stood no chance of defeating the Raptors as Leonard led the Raptors to victory in six games. Leonard had proved everybody wrong as he was once again a Finals MVP.
Utah Jazz – No Finals MVPWashington Wizards – Wes Unseld
Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
1978 Finals MVP Stats: 9.0 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
The story of the 1978 NBA Finals is one of the most interesting ones out there. The Bullets had long been close to capturing an NBA championship led by one of the greatest frontcourts in NBA history with Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld. Hayes was the villain who constantly battled with the press and his teammates while Unseld was seen as a leader who everyone loved and respected. In the 1978 season, the duo led the Bullets to just 44 wins but got hot at the right time to make a run to the NBA Finals.
Unseld would have an interesting series in the Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics in their first of two matchups in the NBA Finals that decade. Unseld’s numbers do not nearly match those of Hayes or Bob Dandridge, but his impact was felt all the same. Unseld’s defense and job as well as grabbing rebounds were the unsung hero of a Game 7 win and an improbable championship in Washington history. It would be the lowest PPG that any Finals MVP has ever recorded and one of the strangest Finals MVP selections ever.
