Since 1969, a top performer in the NBA’s championship series has been named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Many NBA greats past and present have received this award at least once. Winning the championship and taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy are the biggest goal for every player that takes part in the NBA Finals, but MVP honors are one of the perks of achieving that goal.
Below, we dive a little deeper into NBA Finals MVP history and how you can bet on who will take home the honor in this year’s championship clash at top online sportsbooks.
Where to Bet on NBA Finals MVP Odds
The NBA is one of the most popular leagues in the United States, and betting on the NBA Finals draws significant interest each year.
That includes betting on who will win NBA Finals MVP. Many of the best U.S. online sportsbooks offer NBA Finals MVP odds, including sites such as BetOnline, Sportsbetting.ag, Bovada, and Everygame.
Some sites even offer bonuses centered around betting on the NBA Finals, much like they do for betting on the Super Bowl, March Madness, and other marquee events.
Be sure to check out the bonuses and promotions at your favorite sports betting sites in the days leading up to the NBA Finals to make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to boost your bankroll for betting on the championship series.
How to Bet on NBA Finals MVP Odds
As with other regular season or postseason awards, such as NBA MVP, the MLB MVP awards, Super Bowl MVP, and the Heisman Trophy, NBA Finals MVP odds are futures odds.
Some online sportsbooks will have odds available at the start of the playoffs, while others may not have them until after the Eastern Conference finals and Western Conference finals finish and the matchup for the championship series is set.
Depending on the matchup and the players involved, there may be a heavy favorite. Many of the NBA’s best teams are led by one or two superstars, and these players will occupy the top spots in any odds.
If the Finals matchup is even or expected to be close, the MVP favorites on both sides may not be separated by a wide margin. But if one team is heavily favored, there will be some distance between that team’s star(s) and the other team’s star(s).
As with any other futures bets, whether you choose to bet on NBA Finals MVP odds may come down to value and timing.
If you want to bet on the favorite but elect to wait until after the series starts, you may well get better value than you would have prior to the series.
On the other hand, if you bet on someone who is not the favorite, your best option might be to do so before the series starts. If they perform well in the first game or two, their odds could significantly shorten.
In most years, the eventual NBA Finals MVP winner will be a superstar from the winning team. But there are occasional surprises, such as in 2015 when Andre Iguodala won the award after doing his part to help the Golden State Warriors defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA Finals MVP History
Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and many other household names have received this accolade for shining in the NBA’s championship series.
Here are a few fast facts about the award’s history.
Has a rookie ever won the award?
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is the only rookie to win Finals MVP. Johnson, the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the Finals in his debut season in the league.
After averaging 21.5 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, and 8.7 assists per game in six games in the Lakers’ 1980 NBA Finals win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson took home Most Valuable Player honors.
Has someone on a losing team won the award?
The only NBA Finals MVP to come from the losing team was the first winner of the award. In the 1969 NBA Finals, Jerry West’s Lakers lost out to the Boston Celtics in a hotly contested seven-game series that featured three games that were decided by one or two points.
However, West was named MVP of the series for his outstanding efforts. He scored 40 or more points in four games, including 53 in L.A.’s Game 1 win, and averaged 37.9 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 4.7 RPG.
In the years since, there have been worthy players on losing teams. But as with Super Bowl MVP, which has also only had one winner from a losing team, a losing player faces tall odds no matter how well they have played.
Who has won NBA Finals MVP the most times?
Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP in all six of the Chicago Bulls’ championship wins in the 1990s. LeBron James has won the award four times with three different teams (2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat, 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and 2020 with the Lakers).
Magic Johnson (1980, 1982, 1987), Shaquille O’Neal (2000, 2001, 2002), and Tim Duncan (1999, 2003, 2005) are all three-time winners. Willis Reed (1970, 1973), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971, 1985), Larry Bird (1984, 1986), Hakeem Olajuwon (1994, 1995), Kobe Bryant (2009, 2010), Kawhi Leonard (2014, 2019), and Kevin Durant (2017, 2018) are the other players to be named Finals MVP multiple times.
Who Are the Last 20 NBA Finals MVP Winners?
Here are the 20 most recent NBA Finals MVP winners, as well as their odds to win the award. Odds are courtesy of Sports Odds History, a treasure trove of historical odds and information for the major North American sports and leagues and more.
In that time, the biggest favorite to win is Nikola Jokic in 2023, while the biggest underdog by a massive margin is Iguodala in 2015.
| Year | Player | Odds (Entering NBA Finals) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics | +700 |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets | -350 |
| 2022 | Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors | -135 |
| 2021 | Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks | +190 |
| 2020 | LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers | -160 |
| 2019 | Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors | +245 |
| 2018 | Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors | -135 |
| 2017 | Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors | +190 |
| 2016 | LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | +225 |
| 2015 | Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors | +12500 |
| 2014 | Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs | +1800 |
| 2013 | LeBron James, Miami Heat | -250 |
| 2012 | LeBron James, Miami Heat | +130 |
| 2011 | Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks | +160 |
| 2010 | Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers | -182 |
| 2009 | Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers | -300 |
| 2008 | Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics | +500 |
| 2007 | Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs | +500 |
| 2006 | Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat | +200 |
| 2005 | Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs | +100 |