Who doesn’t like it when a young prodigy shines on the grandest stage of them all? The NBA 2025 Finals are just around the corner, as many youngsters can announce their arrival on the big stage. Moreover, Chet Holmgren and Bennedict Mathurin are budding players who can pick up the Finals MVP. If Andre Iguodala won it in a star-studded Golden State Warriors roster, why can’t they?
As the excitement is palpable and tensions arise, we explore the youngest Finals MVP winner in the league, going through some of the other notable names as well.
We build suspense by reviewing the list of youngsters who won the award as we go from descending to ascending order of age. Here are the five youngest Finals MVP winners.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1971 (Milwaukee Bucks)
24 years and 24 days
The 1971 NBA Finals became the incarnation of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The 7’2″ center became an offensive machine, scoring points at will. He became the youngest Finals MVP winner of all time, and he did it with Oscar Robertson on the side. Therefore, it tells you the dominance of Abdul-Jabbar, as he averaged 27.0 points, 18.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
The birth of the skyhook saw fans amazed at the center’s ability to get over the defense. After this title victory, the rest, as they say, is history.
Tim Duncan – 1999 (San Antonio Spurs)
23 years and 61 days
The San Antonio Spurs selected Tim Duncan as the first-round, first-overall pick of the 1997 draft. David Robinson and Duncan took the league by storm with crafty footwork, efficient bank shots, and a supreme glass-eater. He racked up 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.2 blocks in a spectacular display of fundamental basketball.
There’s no one like Duncan, and there won’t be anyone like the power forward in the NBA with an orthodox basketball style.
Kawhi Leonard – 2014 (San Antonio Spurs)
22 years and 351 days
If not for injuries, Kawhi Leonard would have won multiple championships, MVPs, and other awards. He won the NBA title with the Spurs, a team boasting Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili. Leonard became the Finals MVP, to the amazement of everyone on the roster. That Spurs victory became the epitome of ball movement and fundamental basketball.
In the end, Leonard averaged 17.8 points and grabbed 6.4 rebounds. 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks. Some would say he was a well-deserved Finals MVP.
Magic Johnson – 1982 (Los Angeles Lakers)
22 years and 298 days
Magic Johnson is the only man here to make the list twice. But first, let’s talk about his exploits during the 1982 Lakers’ championship victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He took the league by storm, averaging 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. Defensively, he had lateral quickness and managed 2.5 steals by playing intense defense.
With his flashy passes, magnetic ball handling, and gritty rebounding, he won his second NBA title with the Lakers. He went on to win three more NBA titles during the 1980s.
Magic Johnson – 1980 (Los Angeles Lakers)
20 years and 276 days
This record is intact in the NBA history books for the sheer disbelief with which he exploded onto the scene. Johnson arrived as a rookie in the 1979 season as the first-round, first-overall pick and won the NBA title in his first year and the NBA Finals MVP.
You can’t write the script. He came up with 21.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks in a proper MVP performance.
Despite being a rookie, he led the team and became one of the stars of the NBA.
