NBA conference finals MVP awards
| Awarded for | Most valuable player of the NBA conference finals |
|---|---|
| Presented by | National Basketball Association |
| History | |
| First award | 2022:
|
| Most recent | 2026:
|
The National Basketball Association (NBA) annually honors the most valuable players (MVPs) of both of its conference finals.[1] Presented since the 2022 playoffs, the awards are decided by a panel of media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the conference finals. The person with the highest number of votes in each conference wins the award.[2]
The Larry Bird Trophy is awarded to the MVP from the Eastern Conference and the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy for the Western Conference.[3] Their namesakes, Hall of Fame players Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, both made their NBA debuts in 1979, and their bi-coastal rivalry in the 1980s helped revive and popularize the league.[1][4][5] The inaugural recipients were Jayson Tatum (Eastern Conference) and Stephen Curry (Western Conference).
Winners
[edit]| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
Eastern Conference
[edit]| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jayson Tatum^ | Forward |  United States |
Boston Celtics |
| 2023 | Jimmy Butler^ | Forward | United States |
Miami Heat |
| 2024 | Jaylen Brown^ | Forward | United States |
Boston Celtics |
| 2025 | Pascal Siakam^ | Forward |  Cameroon |
Indiana Pacers |
| 2026 | Jalen Brunson^ | Guard | United States |
New York Knicks |
Western Conference
[edit]| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Stephen Curry^ | Guard | United States |
Golden State Warriors |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokić^ | Center |  Serbia |
Denver Nuggets |
| 2024 | Luka Dončić^ | Guard |  Slovenia |
Dallas Mavericks |
| 2025 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander^ | Guard |  Canada |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2026 | Victor Wembanyama^ | Center |  France |
San Antonio Spurs |
Teams
[edit]See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Feldman, Dan (May 12, 2022). "NBA to name conference finals MVPs". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Pacers' Pascal Siakam wins Eastern Conference Finals MVP award". Sportsnet. May 31, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "NBA introduces new lineup of postseason hardware featuring an evolution of the Larry O'Brien Trophy" (Press release). NBA. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ↑ Goldsberry, Kirk (May 12, 2022). "NBA unveils new trophies, awards honoring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ↑ Lynch, Mike (May 26, 2022). "The NBA's Conference Finals MVP Award Is New This Year. But What If We Had Always Had It?". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.