Winning an NBA championship cements a player’s legacy. Winning the NBA Most Valuable Player award in the same season? That’s basketball immortality. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has already won the 2025 NBA MVP award, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are tied 1-1 with the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The Thunder star now has a chance to join an elite list of players who’ve won the NBA MVP award and the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the same season.
List of Players Who Won the NBA MVP Award and the NBA Championship in the Same Year
Here’s a look at all the players who’ve won the NBA championship and were named NBA MVP in the same season:
Bob Cousy – Boston Celtics (1957)
Bob Cousy won six NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, but the 1956-1957 season was the year he truly stood out individually. He earned MVP honors after leading Boston to a 44-28 record, averaging 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.
He was key in the Celtics’ divisional-round win over the Syracuse Nationals and their Finals victory over the St. Louis Hawks. Boston lost to the Hawks in the Finals the following year, but Cousy helped lead the Celtics to five more titles from 1959 to 1963.
Bill Russell – Boston Celtics (1961, 1962, 1963, 1965)
Bill Russell is the most decorated winner in NBA history, with 11 championships. He also won five MVPs, including four in seasons when he also claimed the title. In 1958, he nearly added another double-victory when he won the MVP award, but lost in the Finals.
He averaged 16.9 points, 23.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 1960-1961, and improved to 18.9 points, 23.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 1961-1962. Though he won another title in 1964, he didn’t win MVP that season. His final MVP-championship combo came in 1965, with 14.1 points, 24.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Wilt Chamberlain – Philadelphia 76ers (1967)
Wilt Chamberlain posted 24.2 points, 24.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 1966-1967, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to 68 wins. In the playoffs, they beat the Cincinnati Royals and took down Boston, powering past the Celtics’ dynasty. He averaged 28.5 rebounds in the Finals as the 76ers beat his former team, the San Francisco Warriors, in six games.
Willis Reed – New York Knicks (1970)
Willis Reed won MVP and the championship in 1969-1970, averaging 21.7 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He famously returned from injury to start Game 7 of the Finals, helping lift the New York Knicks past the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Milwaukee Bucks (1971), Los Angeles Lakers (1980)
In 1970-1971, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 31.7 points, 16 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He won MVP, Finals MVP and helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the title.
He repeated the feat in 1980 with the Lakers, averaging 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists to earn his sixth MVP and second ring.
Moses Malone – Philadelphia 76ers (1983)
Moses Malone averaged 24.5 points and 15.3 rebounds during a 65-win season. He won his third MVP and led Philly to a Finals sweep over the Lakers after beating the Knicks and Bucks earlier in the playoffs.
Larry Bird – Boston Celtics (1984, 1986)
Larry Bird won his first MVP in 1984, averaging 24.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists. He had 29 points and 21 rebounds in Game 4 of the Finals and helped lead Boston past the Lakers.
In the 1985-1986 season, he averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Celtics went 67-15 and beat the Houston Rockets in six games to secure another Finals win.
Magic Johnson – Los Angeles Lakers (1987)
Magic Johnson averaged 23.9 points, 12.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds in the 1986-1987 season. He led the Lakers to a 65-17 record and won MVP, then beat Bird’s Celtics in six games to win his fourth title and third Finals MVP.
Michael Jordan – Chicago Bulls (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
Michael Jordan earned his first MVP-title double-victory in 1991, averaging 31.5 points. He repeated the feat in 1992, 1996 and 1998, eventually collecting six rings and five MVPs in his career. In 1996, he led the Chicago Bulls to a 72-win season and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the Finals.
Michael Jordan is the only player in league history to win MVP, Scoring Title, 1st Team All-Defensive selection, NBA Championship, and Finals MVP in the same year. He did it four times (1990-91, 1991-92, 1995-96, and 1997-98). pic.twitter.com/fBCz1ek3J3
— Crazy Stats (@NBAcrazystats) February 17, 2025
Shaquille O’Neal – Los Angeles Lakers (2000)
Shaquille O’Neal won his lone MVP in 1999-2000, averaging 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists while leading the league in field goal percentage. He dominated the Finals against Indiana, averaging 38 points and winning the first of three straight Finals MVPs.
Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs (2003)
Tim Duncan put up 23.3 points, a career-best 12.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 2002-2003. He won MVP and led the San Antonio Spurs to a win over the New Jersey Nets in the Finals, nearly posting two quadruple-doubles along the way.
LeBron James – Miami Heat (2012, 2013)
LeBron James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 2011-2012, eventually leading the Miami Heat past the Thunder in the Finals.
He followed up with another MVP and title in 2013, finishing with 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists. His 37 points in Game 7 sealed their Finals victory against the Spurs.
Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors (2015)
Stephen Curry averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 2014-2015. He won his first MVP and led the Warriors to 67 wins, then beat the Cavaliers in six games for Golden State’s first title in 40 years.
