NBA Finals MVP History: Jalen Brunson Wins 2026 Award

👀 The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, winning their first NBA title since 1973.
📈 Jalen Brunson took home Finals MVP, averaging 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the NBA Finals.

Below is our full list of NBA Finals MVP winners, plus a look back at our hypothetical 2024 Finals MVP odds, when Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics to the title.

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2024 NBA Finals MVP Odds (Archive)

Player	Team	Odds	Percentage Chance
Jaylen Brown	Boston Celtics	-280	73.7%
Jayson Tatum	Boston Celtics	+250	28.6%
Luka Doncic	Dallas Mavericks	+2200	4.3%
Jrue Holiday	Boston Celtics	+7500	1.3%
Kyrie Irving	Dallas Mavericks	+9000	1.1%
Derrick White	Boston Celtics	+11000	0.9%

Above were our latest Finals MVP odds ahead of Game 5 on Monday night in Boston.

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NBA Finals MVP List

Year	Player	Team	Key Stats
2026	Jalen Brunson	New York Knicks	28.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 6.1 APG
2025	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Oklahoma City Thunder	29.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.5 APG
2024	Jaylen Brown	Boston Celtics	23.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG
2023	Nikola Jokic	Denver Nuggets	24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG
2022	Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	25.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.3 APG
2021	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks	28.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.9 APG
2020	LeBron James	Los Angeles Lakers	25.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 10.2 APG
2019	Kawhi Leonard	Toronto Raptors	26.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.3 APG

Over the last six years, winners of the NBA Finals MVP trophy include Giannis Antetokounmpo (2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks), Stephen Curry (2022 with the Golden State Warriors), Nikola Jokic (2023 with the Denver Nuggets), Jaylen Brown (2024 with the Boston Celtics), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2025 with the Oklahoma City Thunder) and now Jalen Brunson (2026 with the New York Knicks).

Add in LeBron James (2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers) and All-Pro forward Kawhi Leonard (2019 with the Toronto Raptors) and you have the full picture of the last eight winners of the league championship MVP trophy in the 30-team association.

USA Today photo by Peter Casey.

NBA Finals MVP FAQ

Jalen Brunson won the NBA Finals MVP award for the 2026 NBA Finals after leading the New York Knicks past the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 for the franchise's first championship since 1973. Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the series and scored 45 points in the clinching Game 5.

The NBA Finals MVP market takes shape once the Finals matchup is set. For now, the best guide is the championship market, where the San Antonio Spurs are the favorites at +285 at DraftKings, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder at +360. Finals MVP awards almost always go to the best player on the title winner.

The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is annually given to the top player during the NBA Finals since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of 11 media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals that year.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA Finals MVP award for the 2025 NBA Finals after he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the franchise's first title since relocating to Oklahoma City, beating the Indiana Pacers in seven games. During the NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.

While it is not a written rule that a player from a losing team can’t win the NBA Finals MVP, Jerry West is currently the only Finals MVP ever to come from a losing team. He won it in 1969 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers when he averaged 37.9 points per game in a 7-game series loss.

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.