With the NBA Draft lottery now in the rearview mirror and Victor Wembanyama most likely heading to the San Antonio Spurs, it is time for the speculation around the next 10 years to begin. The No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft is usually a crap shoot, just as the entire draft is from start to finish. Only time will tell if a team is going to end up with Anthony Bennett or Greg Oden as opposed to LeBron James or Hakeem Olajuwon. Any team picking at the top of an NBA Draft is hoping to secure the latter as they build their franchise up and pursue an NBA championship.
Throughout NBA history, only 11 players who were selected first overall in the NBA Draft have gone on to win the MVP award. There have also only been a handful of first-overall picks to go on to win an NBA championship. Today, we will take a look at the eight different players in NBA history to not only lead their teams to NBA championships after being selected number one overall but also the players that claimed Finals MVP honors while doing it. Although the list isn’t long, it goes to show that there is still plenty of gold to be found at the top of the NBA Draft.
These are the only No. 1 overall picks who won Finals MVP in NBA History.
Bill Walton – 1 Finals MVP
Bill Walton was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1974 NBA Draft after setting the college ranks on fire at UCLA. Walton was a tremendous scorer, rebounder, and defender who, along with Maurice Lucas, made Portland one of the toughest teams to beat in the late 1970s. From 1975 thru 1978, Walton would average 17.1 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.6 BPG.
In 1977, Walton would lead the NBA in both rebounding and blocks while leading the Trail Blazers to a 49-33 record. In the playoffs, Walton would help Portland navigate the playoffs for a showdown with Julius Erving and the 76ers in the NBA Finals. Philadelphia would win each of the first two games, seemingly headed for their first NBA title since 1967. However, Walton was not to be denied as he rallied his team for four straight wins and their first NBA championship. Walton was awarded Finals MVP behind 18.5 PPG, 19.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 3.7 BPG. In 1978, he would win the MVP award as well before suffering a foot injury that would change the entire trajectory of his career.
James Worthy – 1 Finals MVP
Big Game James Worthy torched the college ranks during his days at the University of North Carolina. He won an NCAA championship while being named the Tournament MOP, and earned a consensus All-American selection as well. He was selected as the first overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would spend the entirety of his 12-year career. Worthy would go on to win three NBA championships with the Lakers as well as earn seven All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections in his career.
In 1988, Worthy and the Lakers were looking to defend their championship win from 1987. Worthy had his third All-Star season in a row at the time with 19.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG. In the playoffs, the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals once again to face off with the Detroit Pistons. The series went back and forth until they reached a pivotal Game 7. Worthy exploded in the decisive game, going for 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to secure the championship for his squad. Overall for the series, Worthy was named Finals MVP after averaging 22.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 0.7 SPG.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 2 Finals MVPs
Coming out of college at UCLA in 1969, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of the greatest NBA prospects we have ever seen to this day. The Milwaukee Bucks took him with the number one overall pick that year in one of the most obvious top selections ever. Kareem would make it worth it, winning Rookie of the Year in 1970 and an MVP award in 1971. That season, he would lead the Bucks to the NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets. The series was everything but competitive, as the Bucks would sweep the Bullets in four games. Kareem earned Finals MVP honors averaging 27.0 PPG and 18.5 RPG.
The next time Kareem would win Finals MVP honors would be 14 years later with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1985, the Lakers would go 62-20 as they pursued their fourth championship of the decade. In the playoffs, Kareem and Magic Johnson would lead the Lakers to the Finals for a showdown with their rivals, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers would dismiss Boston in six games, with Kareem earning the second and final Finals MVP of his career. He averaged 25.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.5 BPG to win the award.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 2 Finals MVPs
Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the greatest two-way centers in NBA history. He was smooth as could be on offense in the post and an unstoppable force on the defensive side of the ball. In 1983, the Rockets made Olajuwon their first overall pick, hoping he could change the fortunes of their franchise for the foreseeable future, and that he did. In 1994 and 1995, Olajuwon would go on a run that is still held in high regard today.
In 1994, Olajuwon and the Rockets began their ascent to the top of the NBA with an MVP season from Olajuwon and a 58-24 record. They would advance to the NBA Finals to take on the Knicks in a tough and hard-fought seven-game series. Olajuwon and the Rockets emerged victorious, with Olajuwon claiming the first Finals MVP of his career. In 1995, their chances of repeating looked dim compared to 1994, but they found themselves in the NBA Finals once again. Olajuwon would lead the Rockets to a sweep of the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. With a dominant performance of 32.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 2.0 BPG, Hakeem was named Finals MVP for the second time.
Tim Duncan – 3 Finals MVPs
In 1997, Tim Duncan was selected as the number one pick by the San Antonio Spurs. He came into a franchise that was seeking its first NBA championship despite the leadership and great play of David Robinson. In 1999, the season was shortened to 50 games due to a lockout amid contract and CBA negotiations. Duncan and the Spurs took advantage as they advanced to the NBA Finals to play the New York Knicks for the right to be called NBA champions. It would take just five games for the Spurs to put New York away as Duncan earned Finals MVP honors with 27.4 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.2 BPG.
The next time the Spurs would appear in the NBA Finals would be four years later against the New Jersey Nets led by Jason Kidd. Duncan had already been named the MVP that season and was able to finally get over the hump and get back to the Finals for a second time. Duncan and the Spurs would dominate the Nets in six games to capture their second NBA championship. Duncan was named Finals MVP in one of the greatest Finals MVP performances ever, with 24.2 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 5.3 BPG. Duncan would also capture Finals MVP honors in 2005 in a win over the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 20.6 PPG, 14.1 RPG, and 2.1 BOG in the seven-game series.
Magic Johnson – 3 Finals MVPs
There have been just three players in NBA history who were selected first overall and went on to win three or more Finals MVP awards. The first of these players was Magic Johnson, who got started early in his career. In 1980, Johnson became the youngest Finals MVP ever when he led the Lakers to an NBA title as a rookie and won Finals MVP honors after stepping in for an injured Kareem in Game 6 and recording 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists to defeat the 76ers and win his first Finals MVP award.
The greatest point guard in NBA history would add two more Finals MVPs in his career. The second of these Finals MVP awards would come two seasons later at the expense of the same 76ers team he beat in 1980. The series went six games again as Magic led the way with 16.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.0 APG, and 2.5 SPG. Magic added his third and last Finals MVP award of his career in 1987 against the Boston Celtics. This series would also go six games, with Magic and the Lakers coming out victorious. Johnson was named Finals MVP again with 26.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 13.0 APG, and 2.3 SPG.
Shaquille O’Neal – 3 Finals MVPs
The next first-overall pick with multiple Finals MVPs is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. Shaquille O’Neal was the first overall pick of the Orlando Magic in 1992 out of LSU. His Finals MVP wins would not come until he joined the Lakers in the late 90s as the century turned over to the 2000s. O’Neal would lead the Lakers to a three-peat as NBA champions from 2000 thru 2002, claiming all three Finals MVP awards along the way.
In 2000, the Lakers and O’Neal dominated the Indiana Pacers in six games. O’Neal had one of the highest-scoring Finals MVP performances ever, with 38.0 PPG, 16.7 RPG, and 2.7 BPG. In 2001, O’Neal and the Lakers squared off with MVP Allen Iverson and the 76ers. After dropping Game 1 at home, the Lakers would rattle off four wins in a row for their second straight title. O’Neal claimed Finals MVP again with 33.0 PPG, 15.8 RPG, and 3.4 BPG. O’Neal and the Lakers would capture their third straight NBA championship in 2002 in a four-game sweep of the New Jersey Nets. O’Neal dominated once again with 36.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 2.8 BPG.
LeBron James – 4 Finals MVPs
The final number one overall pick to capture multiple Finals MVPs on our list is none other than LeBron James. What more is there to say about the last 20 years of James’ career? He has rewritten the standard of greatness in the NBA, and a part of that reason is his four championship runs which resulted in four NBA championships for three different franchises. No matter his record in the Finals of four wins and six losses, it is hard to dispute his efforts and accomplishments in those 10 Finals appearances.
James would win his first two Finals MVP awards in back-to-back seasons with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, James and the Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, with James averaging 28.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 7.4 APG. In 2013, James took down the mighty Spurs in seven games behind a remarkable series of 25.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 7.0 APG. His next championship and Finals MVP would come in 2016 as a result of the greatest upset in Finals history. James and the Cavaliers would win the title in seven games after falling down 3-1 in the series to the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. James’ most recent championship and Finals MVP came in 2020 with the Lakers in the Bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They would defeat the Miami Heat in six games behind LeBron’s performance of 29.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 8.5 APG.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
