Loading

NBA MVP Award: Who Has the Most MVP

Which NBA player has won the most MVP awards? Let’s find out who holds the record for most MVPs, the ranking of multiple NBA MVP winners, and the MVP Hall of Fame

The dream of every NBA player is to win the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award, which is the recognition given by the league to the best player of the regular season.

The NBA MVP award was established in honor of Maurice Podoloff (hence the name of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy), the first president of the NBA, and was first awarded in the 1955/56 season.

Starting from the 2020 edition, the award has been named after Kobe Bryant, who passed away a few months earlier.

Today we will discover which NBA player has won the most MVP awards, the complete ranking of all multiple winners, and finally, a special ranking by team: here is the MVP Hall of Fame.

Who has the most NBA MVP?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for the most NBA MVP awards, having won the award 6 times in his career. He won his first MVP award in the 1970-71 season and his last one in the 1979-80 season. No other player in NBA history has won as many MVP awards as Abdul-Jabbar.

Michael Jordan and Bill Russell are tied for the second-most MVP awards, with each player having won the award five times. LeBron James has won the award four times, while players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan have each won the award three times.

Players with the Most NBA MVP

#PlayersMVPYears
1Kareem Abdul-Jabbar61971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
2Bill Russell51958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965
Michael Jordan51988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
4Wilt Chamberlain41960, 1966, 1967, 1968
LeBron James42009, 2010, 2012, 2013
6Moses Malone31979, 1982, 1983
Larry Bird31984, 1985, 1986
Magic Johnson31987, 1989, 1990
9Bob Pettit21956, 1959
Karl Malone21997, 1999
Tim Duncan22002, 2003
Steve Nash22005, 2006
Stephen Curry22015, 2016
Giannis Antetokounmpo22019, 2020
Nikola Jokic22021, 2022
* In bold active players

On the other hand, analyzing in which teams the MVP awards have been won, the two most titled teams of all time are Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, who throughout their history have created legendary cycles relying on players such as Bill Russel and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Teams with the Most NBA MVP

#TeamMVPYears
1Boston Celtics101957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1973, 1984, 1985, 1986
2Los Angeles Lakers81976, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2008
3Philadelphia 76ers61966, 1967, 1968, 1981, 1983, 2001
Chicago Bulls61988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2011
5Milwaukee Bucks51971, 1972, 1974, 2019,2020
6Houston Rockets41979, 1982, 1994, 2018
7Phoenix Suns31993, 2005, 2006
San Antonio Spurs31995, 2002, 2003
Golden State Warriors31960, 2015, 2016
10Oklahoma Thunder22014, 2017
Miami Heat22012, 2013
Cleveland Cavaliers22009, 2010
Utah Jazz21997, 1999
Atlanta Hawks21956, 1959
Denver Nuggets22021, 2022
15Dallas Mavericks12007
Minnesota Timberwolves12004
Portland Trail Blazers11978
Los Angeles Clippers11975
New York Knicks11970
Washington Wizards11969
Sacramento Kings11964

Curiosities about the MVP award

In the over 60 years of NBA MVP history, the award has been given to a non-American player only five times: twice to Steve Nash (Canada), once to Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), twice to Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), and twice to Nikola Jokic (Serbia), the third European player ever to win the NBA Most Valuable Player title.

How many MVPs does Kobe Bryant have?

The former legend of the Los Angeles Lakers and the basketball world has won 4 MVP awards (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011) during his 20-year career, all with the purple and gold.

How many MVPs does Michael Jordan have?

His Airness won 5 MVP awards (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) during his career and ranks second in this special ranking.

How many MVPs does LeBron James have?

The current number 6 of the Los Angeles Lakers is the active player with the most MVP awards in his trophy case: in fact, the “Kid from Akron” has collected 4 MVP titles (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013).

How many MVPs does Steph Curry have?

The Chef has collected 2 MVP titles (2015, 2016) during his NBA years, all spent so far wearing the Warriors jersey.”

Related articles

Failed to load data