The NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jordan Trophy, named for the five-time MVP often considered the greatest player in NBA history.
Prior to 2021, the winner received the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which was named in honor of the first commissioner (then president) of the NBA, who served from 1946 until 1963. With the switch to the Michael Jordan Trophy, his name was moved to a new Maurice Podoloff Trophy given to the team with the best regular season record. Until the 1979–80 season, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since the 1980–81 season, the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.
Each member of the voting panel casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. Each first-place vote is worth 10 points; each second-place vote is worth seven; each third-place vote is worth five, fourth-place is worth three and fifth-place is worth one. Starting from 2010, one ballot was cast by fans through online voting. The player with the highest point total wins the award. As of the 2023–24 season, the current holder of the award is Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets.
Every player who has won this award and deemed eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been inducted. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award a record six times. He is also the only player to win the award despite his team not making the playoffs in the 1975–76 season. Both Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won the award five times, while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James won the award four times. Russell and James are the only players to have won the award four times in five seasons. Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Nikola Jokić each won the award three times, while Bob Pettit, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo won it twice. Russell, Chamberlain, and Bird are the only players to win the award in three consecutive years. Only two rookies have won the award: Chamberlain (1959–60) and Wes Unseld (1968–69). Seven players who won MVP (combining for eleven total awards) are considered "international players" by the NBA: Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Nash of Canada, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, Antetokounmpo of Greece, Jokić of Serbia, and Embiid of Cameroon.
Stephen Curry (2015–16) is the only player to have won the award unanimously. Shaquille O'Neal (1999–2000) and LeBron James (2012–13) are the only two players to have fallen one vote shy of a unanimous selection, both receiving 120 of 121 votes. Since the 1975–76 season, only three players have been named MVP for a season in which their team failed to win at least 50 regular season games—Moses Malone (twice, 1978–79 and 1981–82), Russell Westbrook (2016–17) and Nikola Jokić (2021–22).
Effective with the 2023–24 season, when a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and its players' union took effect, players must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for most regular-season awards and honors, including MVP. To receive credit for a game for purposes of award eligibility, a player must have been credited with at least 20 minutes played. However, two "near misses", in which the player appeared for 15 to 19 minutes, can be included in the 65-game count. Protections also exist for players who suffer season-ending injuries, who are eligible with 62 credited games, and those affected by what the CBA calls "bad faith circumstances".
Winners
Bob Pettit was the first player to win multiple MVP awards.
Larry Bird was the last player to win the award in three consecutive years.
Hakeem Olajuwon is one of three players to win the NBA MVP and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in the same season.
Derrick Rose became the youngest player to ever win the award at age 22.
Stephen Curry won back-to-back MVP awards in 2014–15 and 2015–16. He is the first unanimous MVP selection in league history.
Nikola Jokić won three MVP awards in 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2023–24. He became one of only two players to be selected in the second round of the
NBA draft to win the award.
| ^ |
Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
| * |
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
 |
Denotes player whose team won championship that year |
| Player (#) |
Denotes the number of times the player had been named MVP at that time |
| Team (#) |
Denotes the number of times a player from this team had won at that time |
Multiple-time winners
| Awards |
Player |
Team(s) |
Years |
| 6 |
 Abdul-Jabbar, KareemKareem Abdul-Jabbar |
Milwaukee Bucks (3) / Los Angeles Lakers (3) |
1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980 |
| 5 |
Jordan, MichaelMichael Jordan |
Chicago Bulls |
1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998 |
| Russell, BillBill Russell |
Boston Celtics |
1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965 |
| 4 |
Chamberlain, WiltWilt Chamberlain |
Philadelphia Warriors (1) / Philadelphia 76ers (3) |
1960, 1966, 1967, 1968 |
| James, LeBronLeBron James |
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) / Miami Heat (2) |
2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 |
| 3 |
Bird, LarryLarry Bird |
Boston Celtics |
1984, 1985, 1986 |
| Johnson, MagicMagic Johnson |
Los Angeles Lakers |
1987, 1989, 1990 |
 Jokić, NikolaNikola Jokić |
Denver Nuggets |
2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Malone, MosesMoses Malone |
Houston Rockets (2) / Philadelphia 76ers (1) |
1979, 1982, 1983 |
| 2 |
 Antetokounmpo, GiannisGiannis Antetokounmpo |
Milwaukee Bucks |
2019, 2020 |
| Curry, StephenStephen Curry |
Golden State Warriors |
2015, 2016 |
| Duncan, TimTim Duncan |
San Antonio Spurs |
2002, 2003 |
| Malone, KarlKarl Malone |
Utah Jazz |
1997, 1999 |
 Nash, SteveSteve Nash |
Phoenix Suns |
2005, 2006 |
| Pettit, BobBob Pettit |
St. Louis Hawks |
1956, 1959 |
Teams
| Awards |
Teams |
Years |
| 10 |
Boston Celtics |
1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1973, 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| 8 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
1976, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2008 |
| 7 |
Philadelphia 76ers |
1966, 1967, 1968, 1981, 1983, 2001, 2023 |
| 6 |
Chicago Bulls |
1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2011 |
| 5 |
Milwaukee Bucks |
1971, 1972, 1974, 2019, 2020 |
| 4 |
Houston Rockets |
1979, 1982, 1994, 2018 |
| 3 |
Denver Nuggets |
2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Philadelphia / Golden State Warriors |
1960, 2015, 2016 |
| Phoenix Suns |
1993, 2005, 2006 |
| San Antonio Spurs |
1995, 2002, 2003 |
| 2 |
St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks) |
1956, 1959 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers |
2009, 2010 |
| Miami Heat |
2012, 2013 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder |
2014, 2017 |
| Utah Jazz |
1997, 1999 |
| 1 |
Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) |
1969 |
| Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers) |
1975 |
| Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings) |
1964 |
| Dallas Mavericks |
2007 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves |
2004 |
| New York Knicks |
1970 |
| Portland Trail Blazers |
1978 |
| 0 |
Brooklyn Nets |
None |
| Charlotte Hornets |
| Detroit Pistons |
| Indiana Pacers |
| Memphis Grizzlies |
| New Orleans Pelicans |
| Orlando Magic |
| Toronto Raptors |
See also
In Spanish: MVP de la Temporada de la NBA para niños
- Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
- NBA Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award
- NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award
- NBA G League Most Valuable Player Award
- NBL (United States) Most Valuable Player Award
- NBA records
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United States
United States
United States
United States
Canada
Germany
Greece
Serbia
Cameroon
