| Awarded for | Most valuable player of the NBA conference finals |
|---|---|
| Presented by | National Basketball Association |
| History | |
| First award | 2022 |
| Most recent | Jimmy Butler (East) Nikola Jokić (West) |
| National Basketball Associationawards and honors |
|---|
| Team awards |
| Individual awards |
| Honors |
The NBA conference finals Most Valuable Player award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 2022 NBA playoffs to the top performing players in the NBA conference finals. [1] The award is decided by a panel of media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award. The Larry Bird Trophy is awarded to the MVP from the Eastern Conference and the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy for the Western Conference. [2] 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] [3] [4] The inaugural recipients were Jayson Tatum from the Eastern Conference, and Stephen Curry from the Western Conference.
| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jayson Tatum ^ | Forward |  United States | Boston Celtics |
| 2023 | Jimmy Butler ^ | Forward | United States | Miami Heat |
| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Stephen Curry ^ | Guard | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokić ^ | Center |  Serbia | Denver Nuggets |
| Awards | Teams | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 2022 |
| Golden State Warriors | 2022 | |
| Denver Nuggets | 2023 | |
| Miami Heat | 2023 |
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning a national championship with Michigan State in 1979, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers, leading the team to five NBA championships during their "Showtime" era. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests against his return from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
Larry Joe Bird is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
In team sports, a most valuable player award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. The purpose of the award is to recognize the contribution of the individual's efforts amongst a group effort, and to highlight the excellence, exemplariness, and/or outstandingness of a player's performance amidst the performance of their peers in question.
The NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jordan Trophy, named for the five-time MVP often considered the best player in NBA history.
The NBA conference finals are the Eastern and Western championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The NBA adopted its current name at the start of the 1949–50 season when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL). The league currently consists of 30 teams, of which 29 are located in the United States and 1 in Canada. Each team plays 82 games in the regular season. After the regular season, eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs. At the end of the playoffs, the top two teams play each other in the conference finals, to determine the Conference Champions from each side, who then proceed to play in the NBA Finals. Trophies were given to each conference winner starting in 2001. In 2022, they named them the Bob Cousy Trophy for the Eastern Conference and the Oscar Robertson Trophy for the Western Conference. Also that year, the league started naming an NBA conference finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for each conference.
The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award. The award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, until a new trophy was introduced in 2005.
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences that make up the National Basketball Association (NBA), the other being the Western Conference. Both conferences consist of 15 teams organized into three divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises the Atlantic, Central, and Southeast Divisions.
Dennis Wayne Johnson, nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a coach of the Los Angeles Clippers and an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University.
The 1984 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Celtics forward Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Bulls' 25th season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Bulls acquired Dennis Hopson from the New Jersey Nets, and signed free agent Cliff Levingston. The Bulls overcame a slow start, losing their first three games of the season, as they later on went on an 11-game winning streak between February and March, held a 32–14 record at the All-Star break, then posted a nine-game winning streak also in March. The Bulls finished in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 61–21 record, surpassing their previous franchise-best from the 1971–72 season. Widely regarded as one of the greatest teams of all time, the Bulls had the best team offensive rating and the seventh best team defensive rating in the NBA.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the Lakers' 44th season in the National Basketball Association, and 32nd in the city of Los Angeles. This was the start of a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they were coming from an NBA Finals defeat to the Chicago Bulls in five games, but also with the sudden retirement of their long-time superstar, Magic Johnson, after he announced that he was HIV positive. Johnson would briefly come back and play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando despite controversy; he was selected along with teammate James Worthy, and won the All-Star MVP award, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 153–113.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Rockets' 28th season in the National Basketball Association, and 24th season in Houston. After winning their first championship, the Rockets went on to win their first nine games of the season. However, with increased competition in the West, management felt a change was needed to win another title. On February 14, 1995, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, and three-point specialist Tracy Murray; Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were both teammates at the University of Houston in the early 1980s. The team also signed free agent Chucky Brown midway through the season, and later on signed 38-year old veteran Charles Jones to a 10-day contract in April, where he played in the final three games of the regular season. However, after holding a 29–17 record at the All-Star break, the Rockets played .500 basketball in the second half of the season, posting an 18–18 record on their way to finishing third in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record.
The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was the 42nd edition of the All-Star Game. It was hosted at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida on February 9, 1992, where the West defeated the East, 153–113. The game is memorable for the return of Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson, who retired before the 1991–92 NBA season after contracting HIV. Johnson was given the MVP award. He also took the final shot of the game, a three-pointer, and the final 14½ seconds of the game were not played. The game was broadcast by NBC for the second consecutive year.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Bulls' 24th season in the National Basketball Association. Despite their solid playoff run last year, the Bulls fired head coach Doug Collins and replaced him with assistant Phil Jackson, and received the sixth pick in the 1989 NBA draft, which they used to select Stacey King from the University of Oklahoma. Under Jackson, the Bulls held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break, finished the regular season second in the Central Division with a 55–27 record, averaging 109.5 points per game.
The 1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 43rd season of the franchise, 41st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 29th in Los Angeles. This would also be the final season for All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. During the off-season, the Lakers signed free agent Orlando Woolridge. The Lakers entered the season as the two-time defending NBA champions. The team won 15 of their first 18 games, held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break, and finished with a 57–25 record, earning them the top playoff seed in the Western Conference.
The Western Conference is one of two conferences that make up the National Basketball Association (NBA), the other being the Eastern Conference. Both conferences consist of 15 teams organized into three divisions.
The 1988–89 NBA season was the Jazz's 15th season in the National Basketball Association, and 10th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the off-season, the Jazz acquired Mike Brown from the expansion Charlotte Hornets. This season marked the arrival of assistant coach Jerry Sloan, who became a full-time head coach replacing Frank Layden, who retired from coaching after an 11–6 start to the season. Sloan would go on to coach the Jazz for 23 seasons, including two trips to the Finals in 1997 and 1998, and 19 playoff appearances out of 22 seasons, including 15 consecutive appearances from 1989 to 2003, and 4 more from 2007 to 2010 before he resigned midway through the 2010–11 season. The Jazz held a 28–20 record at the All-Star break, and finished first in the Midwest Division with a 51–31 record.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Lakers' 42nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 30th in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers drafted Yugoslavian center Vlade Divac with the 26th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft. Despite the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and an NBA Finals defeat in which they were swept in four games by the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers got off to a fast start winning ten of their first eleven games, and holding a 35–11 record at the All-Star break, on their way finishing the regular season with a league-best 63–19 record.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the 76ers 41st season in the National Basketball Association, and 27th season in Philadelphia. During the off-season, the Sixers acquired Rick Mahorn from the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves, who selected him in the 1989 NBA expansion draft. Mahorn, who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons last year, joined Charles Barkley and Mike Gminski to form a formidable front court. The team also acquired Johnny Dawkins from the San Antonio Spurs, who teamed with second-year star Hersey Hawkins in the backcourt. After a mediocre 18–16 start to the season, the Sixers would win twelve consecutive games, then hold a 30–18 record at the All-Star break, and post an 8-game winning streak near the end of the season. They won the Atlantic Division title compiling a 53–29 record, defeating the Boston Celtics by just one game.
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